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^•*»«i>«*|fc«»-,^»r   ^sfprv:*- •■*•  ♦  -^m  mmi^mm     #>•!►-••  41 


CHRISTIAN 
PERSECUTIONS 


BEING  A 


HISTORICAL   EXPOSITION 


OF  THE 


Principal    Catholic    Events 

From  the  Christian  Era  to  the  Present  Time. 


Written  from  (in  Unprejudiced  Standpoint. 


BY 


^^ 


ASA  H.  CRAIG,X^o,oETHsB»^ 


THIRD    EDITION. 


THE  M.  H.  WILTZIUS  CO., 

MILWAUKEE. 
1904. 


Nihil  Obstat 

Simon  Lebl,  D.D., 

Censor  Libroram 

^tnpcinxaiuv, 

►J<    Fredericus  Xaverius, 

Archiepiscopus  Milwauchiensis 


40AN  STACK 


Entered  according  to  an  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1899,  hy 

ASA  H.  CRAIG. 

In  the  Office  of  tlie  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington.  D.  C. 

Copyright  transferred  to  The  M.  H.  Wiltzius  Co., 

1903. 


/ 1^^ 


TO 

THE  CAUSE  OF  HUMANITY 


AND    THB 


(iu^rthrouj  of  Jntokr^anc^,  ligotr^i)  and  Jignopn^e 

THIS  VOLUME 

IS 

RESPECTFULLY   DEDICATED 
BY   THE   AUTHOR. 


722 


The  following  Authors  have  been  consulted,  upon  which 
the  historic  facts  in  this  volume  are  based.  For  these  favors 
I  most  cheerfully  extend  my  thanks. 

Rollins'  Ancient  History.     Two  volumes. 
Meyers'  Ancient  History. 
Myers'  Mediaeval  and  Modern  History. 
Russell's  Modern  Europe.     Two  volumes. 
Ridpath's  History  of  the  World. 
Guizot's  History  of  France. 

Parsons'  Studies  in  Church  History.     Five  volumes. 
Brueck's  History  of  the  Catholic  Church.     Two  volumes. 
Deharbe's  History  of  Religion. 
Library  of  Controversy.     Four  volumes. 
Cardinal  Gibbons'  Faith  of  Our  Fathers. 
m  The  Jesuits,  by  Paul  F^val. 

Miss  Kirkland's  History  of  France. 

Martin  Luther,  by  Jacobs. 

Encyclopedia  Britannica. 

Macaulay's  History  of  England. 

Alzog's  Universal  Church  History.     Three  volumes. 

A.  H.  Craig. 


CONTENTS. 


Page 
PREFACE 9 

CHAPTER  I.    My  Confession 15 

II.    Early  Heresies 23 

III.  Persbcution 31 

IV.  Retrospect 36 

V.    The  Tyrant  Nero 42 

VI.    Early  Christian  Martyrs 57 

The  Conversion  of  Constantine 67 

Julian,  The  Apostate 72 

VII.    The  Crusades 76 

VIII.    The  Crusades— Continued 89 

The  Second  Crusade 93 

The  Third  Crusade 95 

The  Fourth  Crusade 98 

The  Children's  Crusade 98 

IX.    The  Reformation 104 

X.    Origin  of  the  Reformation 113 

XI.    Martin  Luther 119 

XII.    Martin  Luther — Continued 137 

XIII.  John  Calvin  and  Ulric  Zwingli 150 

Ulric  Zwingli 152 

John  Calvin 162 

XIV.  Summary  of  the  Reformation 168 

XV.    The  Thirty  Years'  War 172 

XVI.    The  Huguenots 181 

XVII.    The  Spanish  Inquisition 199 

XVIII.    The  French  Revolution 220 

XIX.    Napoleon  Bonaparte 234 

XX.    Napoleon  Bonaparte— Continued , 244 

XXI,    Origin  of  the  English  Church 254 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


XXIII. 


XXIV. 
XXV. 


XXVI. 

XXVII. 

XXVIII. 

XXIX. 

XXX. 

XXXI. 

XXXII. 

XXXIII. 

XXXIV. 

XXXV. 


Contents. 

Page 

Heirs  of  Henry  VIII 262 

Edward  VI 262 

Queen  Mary 267 

Heirs  of  Henry  VIII— Continued 285 

Queen  Elizabeth...; 285 

Mary  Stuart,  Queen  of  Scots 293 

Irish  Persecution 306 

Irish  Persecution — Continued 324 

Cromwell  in  Ireland 324 

William  of  Orange 329 

Origin  of  the  Greek  Church 338 

The  Bible 354 

The  Temporal  Powers  of  the  Popes 371 

The  Temporal  Powers  of  the  Popes— Con- 
tinued  385 

Infallibility  of  the  Popes 398 

The  Virgin  Mary 412 

Sisters  of  Charity 430 

The  Jesuits 448 

Confession 462 

The  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass 485 


PREFACE. 


N  presentiog  chis  volume  to  the  public  the  author  has  but 
one  Idea  to  adrance  and  but  one  object  to  attain,  and 
that,  to  destroy  intolerance,  bigotry  and  ignorance. 

By  Intoleration'we  mean,  not  a  prohibition  of  rights 
and  opinions,  but  the  religious  inconsistency  and  prejudice  that 
exists  in  the  political  and  social  life  of  individuals.  It  is  the  in- 
toleration  of  the  mind,  the  heart,  the  conscience. 

By  Bigotry, — 'that  obstinate  and  unreasoning  condition  in  which 
an  individual  views  his  own  belief  and  opinions,  and  opposes  with 
narrow-minded  intolerance  the  beliefs  of  others.  It  is  a  ihated 
opposition,  without  reason   or  commion  sense. 

By  Ignorance, — ^that  pitiable  condition  whidh  listens  to  fanati- 
cism, believes  assertions,  and  analyzes  nothing.  It  is  the  father  of 
intoleratlon,  bigotry,  and  srui>erstition.  It  Is  the  foundation  of 
religious  persecution,  of  idolatry,  and  of  heresy.  It  breeds  con- 
fusion, oppression,  and  persecution. 

From  the  first  establishment  of  Christianity  to  the  present 
day  it  has  been  one  constant  struggle  against  unbelief,  against 
opposition,  and  against  persecution.  In  the  past  there  is  a  wonder- 
ful history  of  the  sufferings,  the  trials,  and  the  steadfastness  of 
those  who  have  been  faithful  to  God,  to  Christ,  and  to  his  Holy 
Word.  To  write  these  histories  is  beyond  the  power  of  man. 
Hundreds  of  volumes  have  been  issued  and  yet  we  have  recorded 
only  a  part  of  the  great  work  of  Christianity,  and  the  awful  afflic- 
tions it  has  borne.  But  not  once  in  all  those  two  thousand  years 
has  the  faith  in  Christ  been  lost  or  broken.  While  it  has  ap- 
parently met  reverses,  yet  not  once   was  there  a  defeat.     These 

(2)  9 


10  Preface. 

reverses  were  only  God's  means  of  purifying  the  Church,  of  win- 
nowing the  chaff  from  the  wheat,  of  casting  out  the  dross,  the 
millstones,  and  all  the  acoumulations  of  unworthiness. 

Before  the  Reformation  it  was  idolatrous  persecution  of  Chris- 
tianity. Since  that  event  it  has  been  Christian  against  Christian, 
with  the  Pope  and  the  Church  of  Rome  as  the  great  central  figure, 
against  which  arose  this  opposition.  The  Whole  force  of  the 
Reformation  was  to  crush  the  power  of  the  Catholic  Church  and 
its  great  head,  the  Pope.  In  return,  the  Church  has  sought  to  main- 
tain its  supremacy,  to  extend  its  influence,  and  to  establish  its 
worship  in  all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  The  warfare  between 
these  contending  forces  has  been  one  of  bitter  hatred,  and  a 
history  of  deadly  persecution. 

In  this  short  volume  it  is  impossible  to  give  more  than  a 
general  exposition  of  events;  but  I  trust  a  sufficient  explanation 
is  herein  given  to  demonstrate  the  fact  that  virtue  is  not  recorded, 
alone,  on  one  side  and  persecution  on  the  other,  but  that  the 
fanatic  zeal  of  all  classes  of  men  was  just  as  intolerant,  just  as  unrea- 
sonable, and  just  as  unchristian  on  one  side  as  on  the  other. 

As  we  read  history  from  an  unprejudiced  standpoint,  we  find 
that  were  we  to  recite  the  events  which  have  transpired  since  the 
days  of  Martin  Luther  and  John  Calvin,  and  place  this  narrative 
before  a  Protesiant  jury,  the  members  of  which  had  never  read 
history,  not  one  could  distinguish  those  perpetrated  by  the  Catholics 
from  those  committed  by  the  Protestants;  and  should  selections  be 
made  by  this  imaginary  jury,  it  is  the  author's  opinion  that,  as 
prejudice  lies  with  the  jury  against  the  Catholics,  they  would 
select  the  Reform  atrocities  as  instituted  by  the  Church  of  Rome. 

But  we  must  bear  in  mind  that  the  oonditions  that  existed  in 
those  days  were  far  different  from  those  that  exist  at  the  present 
time.  Then  religion  was  the  great  central  thought  of  action. 
If  you  were  a  Protestant  it  was  heresy  to  be  a  Catholic,  and  if 
you  were  a  Catholic  it  was  heresy  to  be  a  Protestant;  and  as  heresy 


Preface.  11 

was  a  sin  against  the  law,  then  by  law  it  must  be  punished. 
Christians  were  ignorant  of  the  divine  teachings  of  Christ,  who 
taught  love,  charity,  and  obedience.  They  were  raised  under  the 
discipline  of  force,  and  force  must  be  the  means  of  converting  men 
to  the  true  worship  of  G-od.  If  men  failed  to  observe  the  law  of 
religion  then  there  must  be  ajpplied  the  force  of  what  we  now  call 
oppression  and  persecution,  and  when  it  was  a  bold  declai"a;tion 
of  heresy  we  find  that  it  was  regarded  as  a  higher  crime  than 
treason.  Men  then  looked  upon  treason  as  a  crime  against  the 
State,  but  heresy  as  treason  against  God  and  his  Holy  Word,  and 
as  God  was  the  greatest  of  all  authority,  so  must  heresy  be  the 
greart:est  of  all  crimes.  If  we  examine  this  question  under  the 
conditions  then  existing,  we  find  a  standard  far  different  from 
the  standard  of  to-day. 

It  is  here  we  make  the  great  mistake  in  our  understanding.  We 
try  to  believe  that,  because  things  existed  then,  they  may  exist 
now,  when  in  reality  it  is  an  impossibility.  Times  change,  govern- 
ments change,  educations  change,  and  when  we  arrive  at  a  new 
period  we  must  throw  off  the  old  coat  of  the  past  and  assume  the 
new  realities  of  the  present.  But,  my  friends,  there  are  some  who 
do  not  seem  to  know  that  we  are  living  in  the  nineteenth  century. 
They  imagine  that  it  is  still  the  reign  of  John  Calvin,  Henry  VIII, 
Elizabeth,  Oliver  Cromwell,  William  of  Orange,  or  even  the  Spanish 
Inquisition!  They  do  not  realize  that  we  have  outgaown  those  old 
feudal  tyrannies,  and  in  the  smallness  of  their  vision  see  the  future 
only  as  it  is  reflected  by  the  past. 

If  you  analyze  the  past,  do  so  with  all  the  surroundings  that 
then  occurred  ;  and  when  you  analyze  the  present,  do  so 
with  wha;t  exists  now,  and  not  with  what  belongs  to  the 
recollections  of  a  dead  and  historic  past.  If  you  cannot  believe 
as  a  Catholic,  then  believe  as  your  own  conscience  shall  dictate, 
but  remember  that  wherever  you  go,  or  whatever  you  do,  your  aim 
should  be  to  drop  those  old  prejudices  and  those  old  persecutions. 


12  Preface. 

In  this  enlightened  age  we  cannot  afford  to  question  a  man 
because  of  his  religion,  or  because  of  the  religion  of  his  ancestors, 
but  to  recognize  him  for  Ms  worth  to  government,  to  education,  to 
society,  and  to  Christianity.  The  only  difference  that  exists  between 
our  religious  denominations,  outside  of  religious  belief,  is  prejudice 
— not  a  prejudice  that  exists  by  the  acts  of  to-day,  but  from  condi- 
tions which  existed  ages  ago.  It  is  a  prejudice  more  in  the  line  of 
superstition  than  of  any  reality.  It  is  a  prejudice  handed  down 
from  parent  to  child  and  from  preacher  to  preacher.  As  the  people 
have  been  taught  to  be  prejudiced,  and  appear  to  ignore  present  con- 
ditions, we  feel  more  like  pitying  their  mental  condition  rather  than 
censuring  what  to  them  seems  a  reality. 

As  individuals,  we  are  prone  to  listen  to  what  we  hear  or  read, 
rather  than  ask  ourselves:  Is  this  true?  Can  these  things  exist? 
Is  this  judgment  based  upon  present  conditions,  or  is  it  based 
upon  what  once  existed?  If  we  depend  wholly  upon  what  fanatics 
explain,  then  we  remain  in  the  same  intolerant  condition  as  they, 
but  if  we  depend  upon  what  really  exists,  wtiat  we  see,  what  is  in 
accordance  with  reason,  then  we  outgrow  prejudice  and  inconsist- 
ency, and  meet  all  forms  of  Christianity  upon  the  same  level  of 
equal  rights  and  justice. 

Again  I  say,  this  volume  is  not  written  in  the  interest  of  any 
creed,,  but  in  the  interest  of  facts  as  they  have  existed,  and  as  they 
exist  to-day.  It  is  written  to  dispel  these  three  enemies  of  Chris- 
tianity— Intoleration,  Bigotry,  and  Ignorance,  and  while  I  am  not  a 
member  of  any  churcih,  and  have  never  received  the  blessings  of 
baptism,  yet  I  will  do  all  within  my  power  to  hasiten  the  day  when 
perseoution  shall  cease,  and  the  grand  trutlhs  of  God  will  be  known 
to  all  men.  Therefore  I  will  say  to  my  Protestant  friends,  study 
these  questions  from  a  real  desire  for  knowledge,  cast  off  your  preju- 
dices, and  be  guided  by  what  is  in  existence  to-day.  If  you  do  this, 
when  you  analyze  the  foundation  of  religion,  and  of  faith,  you  can 
clasp  the  hand  of  your  Catholic  friend,  and  see  in  him,  as  he  sees 
in  you,  the  desires  of  a  true  Christian. 


Preface.  13 

I  may  not  succeed  in  convincing  you  that  these  conditions,  as 
herein  described,  do  actually  exist,  yet  I  trust  you  will  not  cast  this 
book  aside  as  unworthy  a  careful  study.  If  I  have  made  a  single 
statement  which  seems  to  you  as  inconsistent,  as  a  fallacy,  or  as  a 
misstatement,  it  is  my  earnest  desire  that  you  look  to  the  historic 
facts  concerning  it.  While  I  believe  the  records  of  history  will  sus- 
tain my  position,  yet  it  is  your  duty  to  convince  yourself,  as  1  have 
done.  I  do  not  ask  that  you  shall  become  a  Catholic,  or  a  Protestant, 
but  that  you  shall  seek  the  truth,  and  in  seeking,  you  will  not  for- 
get the  duties  of  a  true  Christian. 


^  ^  /V  •  lohc^^ 


Mukwonago,  Wis., 
December  25,  1898. 


CHAPTER  T. 

MY  CONFESSION. 

AS  I  review  the  pages  of  this  book  I  cannot  understand 
how  I  could  have  conceived  the  idea  of  writing  this 
short  history  of  some  of  the  trials  and  persecutions  of  the 
Catholic  Church.  I  know  of  no  reason  why  this  subject 
should  have  suggested  itself  to  me.  Up  to  this  time  I  had  not 
discussed  it  with  individuals,  as  I  felt  there  was  a  history  I 
did  not  care  to  disclose.  I  frankly  admit  I  carried  a  prejudice, 
not  from  anything  I  had  ever  seen,  but  from  the  teachings  of 
those  who  professed  to  have  made  it  a  study.  I  had  never 
stopped  to  consider  whether  bare  assertions  were  facts  or  not. 
I  had  'had  no  inclination  to  investigate,  and  while  I  paid  very 
little  attention  to  the  wild  expressions  of  intoleration,  yet  it 
unconsciously  left  an  impression  that  somewhere  in  the  misty 
past  the  Catholic  Church  was  not  what  it  ought  to  have  been. 
And  why  should  I  not  feel  this  impression?  I  took  no 
Cafholic  literature;  I  asked  no  Catholic  advice;  and  what  I 
learned  was  from  a  source  calculated  to  prejudice  and  not 
to  enlighten  me  on  the  facts.  The  teaching  was  one-sided 
in  all  its  details,  without  contradiction,  and  as  I  now  find  it, 
without  confirmation.  It  was  largely  the  invention  of  imag- 
ination, and  I  dare  say  many  of  those  teachers  honestly  believed 
in  their  own  statements.  But  if  they  will  do  as  I  have  done, 
reject  the  writings  of  extremists,  they  will  find  a  condition  and 
causes  different  from  what  they  now  see. 

15 


16  Christian  Persecutions. 

So  I  say  to  my  readers  and  to  the  world,  drop  assertions 
made  to  foment  feeling,  or  analyze  them  on  the  basis  of  your 
own  investigation.  Do  not  let  others  assume  that  they  know 
the  history  of  the  past,  the  present,  and  the  future.  Accept 
the  present  as  you  see  it,  analyze  the  past  as  it  existed,  and 
you  need  have  no  care  for  the  future. 

But  I  will  return  to  the  causes  which  led  me  to  think, 
to  read,  and  to  write:  The  thought  came  to  me  one  night 
when,  during  one  of  my  wakeful  hours,  I  lay  thinking  of 
almost  everything  conceivable.  I  thought  of  life,  of  death,  of 
immortality,  and  of  God.  In  these  thoughts  I  asked  myself, 
What  is  God?  What  is  the  Church  of  Christ?  Who  are  the 
true  teachers  of  the  Bible  and  of  God?  Here  we  have  a 
legion  of  churches — are  they  all  the  true  expositors  of  im- 
mortality? When  did  they  come  into  existence?  Are  not 
churches  and  creeds  made  by  men?  What  was  the  Reforma- 
tion? How  did  the  Reformation  affect  the  Catholic  Church? 
What  is  the  Catholic  Church  anyway?  What  is  its  mission? 
Is  it  a  church  of  persecution,  and  of  intolerance?  What  was 
it  in  the  early  years  of  Christianity?  What  was  it  in  the 
Dark  Ages?  In  the  sixteenth  century?  In  the  days  of 
Napoleon  Bonaparte?  What  is  it  to-day?  These  thoughts 
led  me  to  think  of  investigation,  of  reading,  and  of  inquiry. 

In  the  study  of  history,  did  I  consider  the  story  of  the  his- 
torian infallible?  Are  not  historians  liable  to  err?  Is  it  not  a 
common  error  of  mankind  to  believe  what  we  read  or  hear 
when  we  are  in  a  condition  to  become  favorably  prejudiced? 
Are  we  not  full  of  prejudices?  Do  we  not  transmit  these  prin- 
ciples to  our  children?    When  we  listen  to  the  minister  in  the 


My  Confession.  17 

pulpit  preaching  on  Catholic  infidelity  to  mankind,  are  we 
not  listening  to  a  prejudiced  illustration  of  his  thoughts  and 
his  story?  Did  he  interpret  the  causes  in  the  true  Hght  of 
Christianity?  Or  was  it  to  build  up  his  own  faith  at  the 
expense  of  others?  Is  it  a  part  of  his  stock  in  trade,  and 
must  he  advertise  his  goods  by  crying  down  the  goods  of 
his  neighbor?  Is  there  any  selfish  interest  in  his  mode  of 
operation?  Is  your  Catholic  neighbor  any  different  from  any 
other  neighbor?  Is  he  different  in  the  next  town,  in  the  next 
State?  Is  he  different  anywhere  on  God's  earth?  If  he  is 
proven  by  companionship  as  a  true  friend,  an  obliging  neigh- 
bor, and  a  patriotic  citizen,  has  he  not  then  been  misrepre- 
sented? 

While  I  know  that  some  of  my  dearest  friends  are  Catho- 
lics, and  I  know  and  feel  their  love  and  devotion,  am  I  not 
prejudiced  when  I  think  evil  of  those  who  are  abroad?  Is 
this  a  just  judgment?  Have  I  a  right  to  be  prejudiced  be- 
cause of  the  teachings  of  others?  Am  I  to  be  unreasonable 
and  inconsistent  when  my  surroundings  prove  the  opposite? 
Is  history  true?  Isn't  it  true  that  two  men,  or  twenty  men, 
may  write  history  and  fail  to  agree  except  in  the  bare  fact 
of  an  incident?  Are  not  facts  and  causes  two  distinct  ele- 
ments in  the  exposition  of  history?  If  history  is  written  by 
a  fanatic,  are  not  his  causes  based  upon  fanaticism?  If  written 
by  a  faction,  is  it  not  in  the  interest  of  that  faction?  Does 
it  not  make  a  vast  difference  how  we  view  a  subject,  how  our 
feelings  run  in  the  controversy?  If  we  look  through  a  red 
glass  is  not  tlie  vision  red?  If  through  any  other  color,  or 
controlled  by  any  faction  or  prejudice,  is  not  the  result  exactly 
in  line  with  the  cause  of  inspiration? 


18  Christian  Persecutions. 

Have  I  a  right  to  listen  to  others  and  not  ask  myself 
through  what  glass  is  the  speaker  looking?  Then,  in  sum- 
ming up  all  those  prejudices,  am  I  not  unjust  in  harboring 
thoughts  of  unworthiness?  And  now,  to  speak  in  plain  lan- 
guage, are  not  the  Protestant  Churches  arrayed  against  the 
Catholic  wholly  on  the  hnes  of  prejudice?  And  is  it  not 
fair  for  me  to  suppose  that  this  opposition  is  due,  in  some 
small  degree  at  least,  to  a  stock  in  trade? 

Isn't  preaching  a  profession,  and  do  not  all  men  apply 
their  abilities  in  the  advancement  of  themselves  in  their  pro- 
fessions? How  many  ministers  look  for  a  call  except  to  bet- 
ter their  condition?  Is  preaching,  as  now  conducted,  for 
humanity  or  for  self? 

These  are  dreadful  questions  to  ask,  but  is  there  not  some 
truth  in  them?  Then,  as  we  view  this  whole  line  of  opposi- 
tion, of  prejudice  to  the  Catholic  Church,  is  it  not  persecu- 
tion? Not  such  persecution  as  in  the  days  of  Nero,  or  of 
the  sophistry  of  Voltaire,  of  Paine,  or  of  Ingersoll,  but  of 
that  of  one  form  of  Christianity  against  another?  In  this 
respect,  is  not  this  Church  persecuted  by  all  the  other 
Churches? 

As  these  thoughts  came  to  me  I  resolved  to  read,  not 
through  the  eyes  of  others,  but  through  my  own  eyes.  I 
purchased  books  and  literature.  I  called  up  the  history  of 
encyclopedias.  I  borrowed  books,  and  in  my  research  I 
resolved  to  take  facts,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  to  reject  the 
prejudices  of  others,  I  laid  aside  the  most  enthused  Catho- 
lic writers  as  having  their  glasses  too  highly  colored.  I 
sought  for  causes,  because  I  wanted  to  satisfy  myself,  to 
satisfy  my  own  mind,  and  not  the  mind  of  others. 


My  Confession.  19 

I  read  Robert  G.  Ingersoll  in  order  to  gather  the  sub- 
stance of  his  teachings.  I  took  ancient  history;  the  history  of 
the  Apostles;  the  Dark  Ages;  the  life  of  Martin  Luther;  the 
history  of  France;  the  history  of  the  Huguenots;  tJlie  history  of 
England;  the  history  of  Henry  the  VIII;  the  history  of  the 
Catholic  Church;  the  life  of  Pope  Leo  XIII,  and  many  mag- 
azines and  papers.  Some  books  I  threw  away  and  would  not 
read.  They  were  too  full  of  malignant  vituperation  to  be  of 
any  service  to  me.  These  books  only  served  to  more  con- 
clusively impress  me  with  my  convictions  that  I  had  been 
looking  through  colored  glasses. 

Once  I  might  have  believed  these  assertions,  but  now  I 
had  gone  beyond  this  field  of  extravagance.  I  could  see  the 
venom,  the  sting,  the  old  animosity,  and  the  old  prejudice. 
I  had  no  time  to  read  such  trash,  and  I  threw  them  away  as 
not  suited  to  my  purpose.  They  only  confirmed  my  first  sus- 
picion of  stock  in  trade;  now,  however,  they  were  shop-worn, 
dirty,  out  of  style,  and  not  worth  an  examination.  The  world 
was  grov/ing  to  a  more  intelligent,  more  reasonable,  and 
more  tolerant  condition.  The  old  superstitions,  vagaries,  and 
prejudices  must  bid  good-bye  to  the  new  lessons  of  true 
inspiration,  true  benevolence,  and  true  Christianity. 

We  are  not  what  we  were  centuries  ago,  or  even  in  the 
past  generation.  The  days  of  bodily  persecution  are  over, 
and  soton  tihe  days  of  bigotry  will  follow  the  long  line  of 
jealousies,  misrepresentations  and  abuse.  We  are  entering 
a  field  of  intelligence  where  we  are  having  a  broader  thought, 
a  grander  elevation  of  faith,  and  a  nobler  manhood. 
The  day  of  estabiishing  new  creeds  and  new  isms  will  now 


\ 


20  Christian  Persecutions. 

close,  and  the  grand  thought  of  Refonners  will  be,  not  how 
much  can  be  torn  down,  but  how  much  can  be  built  up, 
how  nuich  can  be  united,  how  we  can  better  work  together, 
and  how  cement  the  religious  desires  of  all  men. 

The  evil  of  the  world  is  united  and  travels  the  same  broad 
road  to  destruction.  Sometimes  it  seems  to  me  as  though  it 
was  growing  stronger  and  stronger  each  year,  while  Chris- 
tianity has  been  quarrelling  over  who  shall  save  the  wicked, 
relieve  distress,  and  preach  the  true  doctrine  of  repentance. 
But  as  years  go  by  there  will  be  a  gradual  strengthening  of 
the  bonds  of  union  in  the  great  cause  of  Christ  and  the  gospel 
of  truth.  It  is  even  whispered  now  that  the  Episcopal  Church 
of  England  is  leaning  to  its  old  rival,  the  Church  of  Rome, 
and  it  is  not  impossible  that  the  powerful  Greek  Church  of 
Russia  may  yet  return  to  its  first  love.  And  so  we  may  say 
of  every  new  creed  and  ism,  tiliere  is  a  change  of  sentiment 
going  on  contmually.  Although  almost  imperceptible  at  times, 
yet  it  is  approaching  the  time  when  we  are  coming  nearer 
and  nearer  to  a  perfect  union,  when  the  hatred  and  animosi- 
ties shall  cease,  and  when  the  dread  suspicion  of  intolerance 
shall  be  no  more.     - 

As  I  now  stand  I  see  the  Catholic  Church  as  I  never  saw 
it  before.  I  see  that  in  all  its  trials  and  persecutions  it  comes 
out  stronger  and  stronger  in  its  discipline,  and  stronger  in  its 
bond  of  union. 

I  read  Martin  Luther  and  see  that  if  the  Church  had 
adopted  his  ninety-five  theses,  then  John  Calvin,  Ulrich 
Zwingli,  and  other  reformers  would  have  demanded  a  recog- 
nition of  their  ideas,  and  there  would  have  been  no  Church, 


My  Confession.  21 

only  a  confusion  of  individual  ideas  and  individual  theology. 
Had  the  Church  yielded  to  Henry  the  VHI,  there  would 
have  been  a  compromise  in  crime,  and  by  its  permission  of 
sin  it  would  have  gone  down  in  disgrace  and  ruin.  Individ- 
uals may  err,  sin,  and  fall,  but  because  of  this  we  have  no 
right  to  condemn  others,  or  to  condemn  the  church  that  seeks 
to  build  them  up,  to  sustain  them  in  their  weakness,  and  to 
bring  them  to  repentance. 

In  all  the  trials  which  have  existed,  and  all  the  persecu- 
tions that  have  been  hurled  against  the  Catholic  Church,  not 
one  has  struck  a  fatal  blow.  While  the  Church  may  have 
staggered  in  its  adversity,  yet  in  the  dawn  of  its  recovery, 
the  sun  of  Christianity  has  shone  brighter,  its  rays  have  been 
purer,  and  its  influence  more  lasting. 

And  now,  if  by  these  efforts  I  may  be  the  means  of 
eliminating  some  of  the  old  prejudices  which  still  cradle  their 
thoughts  in  the  minds  of  men,  then  good  will  result  to  all. 

We  ought  to  be  broad  enough  to  throw  aside  the  incon- 
sistencies of  to-day  and  accept  the  results  as  they  are,  and 
not  what  may  have  been  told  us  in  ages  past.  It  matters 
not  what  may  have  been  the  objects  and  desires  of  the 
Churches  hundreds  of  years  ago.  Those  conditions  cannot 
exist  at  tihe  present.  What  may  have  been  required  then  is 
not  required  now.  The  world  was  not  broad  then — it  was 
narrow  and  contracted;  but  we  are  now  grown  beyond  tliie 
ignorance  of  petty  jealousies,  and.  ought  to  know  and  feel 
that  prejudice  and  bigotry  must  sooner  or  later  be  consigned 
to  the  past.  With  freedom  of  speech,  of  press,  and  of  religion, 
there  is  no  longer  an  excuse  for  misrepresentation,  intoler- 
ance, and  persecution. 


22  Christian  Persecutions. 

With  this  statement  of  the  condition  of  what  has  been 
and  what  ought  to  be,  and  my  carefully-arranged  narrative  of 
the  facts  of  history  drawn  upon  the  basis  of  honest  inquiry, 
and  not  from  the  side  of  a  partisan  or  fanatic,  I  most  ear- 
nestly dedicate  this  book.  May  its  pages  be  the  means  of 
producing  thought,  independent  of  what  others  may  say,  or 
have  said.  May  we  all  think,  and  feel,  and  talk  from  the 
standpoint  of  to-day,  and  may  its  influence  assist  in  elevat- 
ing mankind,  uniting  the  influences  of  good,  and  thus  advanc- 
ing the  cause  of  true  Christianity. 


CHAPTER  II. 

EARLY   HERESIES. 

|\  yi  ARTYRDOM  is  the  fiery  ordeal  throiig-h  which  the 
*  '^  *  power  of  God  in  Christianity  is  gloriously  made  mani- 
fest. It  is  proof  of  the  wondrous  stability  of  the  Church,  the 
undying,  the  imperishable  and  immortal  faith  that  is  the  base 
of  its  foundation.  It  is  not  the  passion  of  blind  fanaticism, 
or  heretical  fidelity  to  imagination,  but  is  the  genuine  testi- 
mony of  the  glorification  of  the  Christian  Church,  It  is 
God's  testimony  to  the  world  that  even  persecution  and  death 
cannot  raise  a  barrier  against  His  Holy  Word.  It  is  an  evi- 
dence of  the  all-consoling  truth  that  the  gates  of  hell  shall 
never  prevail  against  it. 

While  the  Roman  emperors  sought  to  destroy  the  Chris- 
tian religion  by  the  sword  and  persecution,  the  sophists  and 
philosophers,  its  enemies,  sought  by  arguments  to  confute 
the  teachings  of  Christ,  just  as  the  unbelievers  of  the  present 
day  seek  to  play  upon  the  passions  of  men  and  proclaim  that 
religion  is  the  result  of  imagination,  and  cannot  be,  and  yet 
no  persecution  of  fire  or  sword,  no  power  of  sophistry  and 
cunning,  could  prevail  against  the  everlasting  truth. 

The  literary  talents  of  eminent  pagans  were  employed 
to  prejudice  the  world  against  Christianity,  They  were  to 
testify  against  the  divinity  of  Christ,  against  his  power  of 
salvation  and  against  the  resurrection.  They  were  to  repre- 
sent him  as  a  man  incapable  of  divine  power,  incapable  of 

23 


24  Christian  Persecutions. 

performing  miracles  and  incapable  of  being  the  Son  of  God. 

Of  the  production  of  these  eminent  writers,  three  were 
so  cunningly  devised  that  many  were  persuaded  against  the 
faith,  and  the  spread  of  Christianity  seemed  at  a  standstill, 
but  from  the  slow  power  of  recovery  there  arose  a  more 
perfect  union  between  God  and  man.  The  power  of  dis- 
cernment between  sophistry  and  truth  grew  plainer  and  plainer 
until  the  foundation  of  the  Church  was  made  to  endure 
forever. 

The  first  great  work  against  Christ  was  by  the  philosopher 
Celsus,  who,  in  the  year  150,  wrote  a  tirade  of  malignant 
abuse,  not  in  the  language  of  base  antagonism,  but  in  that 
of  subtle  craftiness.  He  represented  as  having  discov- 
ered the  foundation  of  Christ's  authority  and  his  power  of 
performing  miracles.  It  was  represented  as  an  educational 
treatise  based  upon  a  careful  study  and  analysis  of  the  con- 
ditions, and  while  to  Christians  it  was  an  exposition  of  mali- 
cious calumnies,  yet  the  frankness  of  rebutting  testimony 
had  more  the  appearance  of  truth  than  a  wilful  design  against 
our  Blessed  Savior. 

This  was,  perhaps,  the  most  logical  interpretation  ever 
prepared  by  pagan  opposition.  It  was  eloquent  in  appeal, 
manly  in  demonstration  and  dangerously  subtle  in  its  dis- 
cussion. Christ  was  represented  as  a  skillful  conjurer,  a 
powerful  magician,  a  wily  exponent  of  heresies,  and  of  sus- 
picious origin.  He  described  his  manner  of  travels  and  teach- 
ings as  beneath  the  dignity  of  a  Divinity;  He  went  about 
with  a  miserable  company  of  poverty-stricken  publicans  and 
fishermen,  performing,  by  the  art  of  witchcraft,  fictitious  mir- 
acles, and  finally  dying  by  the  hand  of  the  executioner. 


Early  Heresies.  25 

He  logically  demonstrated  the  impossibility  of  a  Divine 
being  coming  from  poverty  and  associating  himself  with  the 
vilest  element  of  society.  He  described  the  followers  of 
Christ  as  a  class  of  people  living  upon  the  excitement  of  the 
day,  without  moral  principles,  a  class  of  heretics,  dregs  of 
society,  and  proselytes  made  in  the  most  shameless  manner. 
That  Christ  worked  upon  the  ignorance  and  superstitions, 
and  being  associated  with  poverty  and  wretchedness,  his 
followers  must  be  composed  of  criminals  and  vicious  people 
He  discussed  the  absurdity  of  the  declaration  that  Christ's 
religion  would  be  known  of  all  nations  of  the  earth,  and  in 
God's  own  time  would  subdue  paganism  and  establish  this 
new  creed. 

This  author,  in  his  book,  "The  Word  of  Truth,"  asserts 
that  the  moral  law  of  Christians  is  neither  holy  nor  new,  con- 
sisting of  fables  and  absurdities,  opposing  every  rational  prin- 
ciple, and  calculated  to  captivate  simple  and  stupid  people. 
The  object  of  the  book  was  to  generate  prejudice  and  destroy 
conversions,  which  were  rapidly  swelling  the  ranks  of  the 
Qiristians. 

While  it  represented  Christ  as  of  suspicious  origin,  yet 
it  portrayed  him  as  being  possessed  of  a  mythical  god,  who 
had  fallen  into  disfavor,  and  now  sought  to  direct  his  powers 
of  craft  and  to  assist  him  in  the  development  of  startling 
revelations.  'From  this  source  his  followers  were  deceived 
as  to  his  origin,  his  power  and  his  divine  attributes. 

And  while  it  seems  a  sacrilege  to  associate  Christ  with 
the  sophistry  of  pagan  invention,  yet  in  the  persecution  of 
Christian   faith  we  find  the  logic  of  enemies  as  powerful  as 

(3) 


26  Christian  Persecutions. 

bodily  crucifixion.  The  persecution  of  Nero  destroyed  the 
body,  while  the  log"ic  of  Celsus  poisoned  tihe  mind  with  the 
seeds  of  prejudice,  irreverence,  and  idolatry.  While  one 
wrought  physical  pain,  the  other  destroyed  Christian  influence, 
the  hope  of  salvation  and  the  soul  of  man. 

Failing  to  accomplish  the  destruction  of  faith  by  the  logic 
of  argument  and  absurdities,  another  writer,  Lucian,  appears 
some  years  later  and  adopts  a  new  line  of  defense.  He  is 
witty  and  sarcastic,  and  where  the  old  calumnies  and  mis- 
representations fail  to  impress  he  creates  attention  by  ridicule 
and  witty  utterances.  He  describes  the  Qiristians  as  harm- 
less and  good-hearted  blockheads,  ready  to  become  the  vic- 
tim of  every  charlatan;  that  their  enthusiasm  was  due  to  a 
simpleness  of  mind;  born  without  reason  and  fit  subjects  for 
impostors  and  false  demonstration.  This  frivolous  scoffer 
makes  levity  of  their  martyrdom,  ascribing  the  cause  to  blind 
fanaticism,  but  in  his  recognition  of  their  love  for  one  an- 
other he  unintentionally  contributes  to-  the  beautiful  testi- 
mony of  the  virtue  of  Christianity  and  the  abiding  faith  of 
its  followers.  Where  argument  could  not  prevail  ridicule 
found  lodgment,  and  Lucian  deterred  many  from  embracing 
Christianity. 

The  attempt  to  destroy  the  teachings  of  Christ  by  vin- 
dictive and  malicious  declarations  having  failed,  and  the 
crafty  cunning  of  wit  and  sarcasm  having  lost  its  power,  ai 
new  plan  is  presented  by  the  enemies  of  Christ.  They  see 
the  nakedness  of  the  religion  of  mystical  gods,  therefore  it  is 
proposed  to  reorganize  the  pagan  faith  by  making  it  purer  and 
more  acceptable  to  the  people,  and  all  the  philosophers  were 


Early  Heresies.  ,  27 

again  called  to  publish  a  system  more  in  harmony  with  the 
advancement  of  Christianity.  It  must  be  something  new, 
pleasant  and  enticing.  The  old  objections  must  be  stricken 
out,  the  number  of  gods  diminished  and  some  form  of  a 
Christ  instituted  to  represent  more  than  the  Christians'  Christ. 

Comparison  was  now  the  question  under  discussion,  and 
in  this  comparison  superiority  for  the  pagan  was  always  ren- 
dered. As  an  illustration,  we  find  one  character  in  particular 
who  is  set  up  as  a  demig'od,  who  was  born  in  a  miraculous 
manner,  who  passed  his  youth  in  holy  retirement,  preached 
a  sublime  doctrine,  worked  miracles  and  ended  his  life  in 
a  mysterious  manner. 

Also,  we  find  the  philosopher  Pythagoras  as  idolized  and 
invested  with  all  the  attributes  of  a  divine  being.  He  was 
described  as  a  supernatural  hero,  who  appeared  on  earth  in 
human  form,  who  prophesied  coming  events,  wrought  mir- 
acles and  founded  common  justice  to  all  men.  Pythagoras 
was  proclaimed  greater  than  Christ,  and  Christians  were  ex- 
horted to  follow  him.  It  was  pointed  out  that  he  possessed 
everything  possible  with  Christ,  that  he  was  superior  in  birth, 
in  the  following  of  men,  and  in  his  departure  from  earth. 

Had  Christ  contained  the  divinity  of  Pythagoras  he  would 
have  saved  himself  from  crucifixion.  The  one  fell  a  victim 
of  execution;  the  other,  by  his  own  miraculous  power,  as- 
cended to  heaven.  Thus  failed  all  the  skillful  contrivances  to 
deceive  the  people  in  the  worship  of  the  true  God.  Their 
crafty  plays  upon  the  imagination  and  their  artful  and  in- 
genious testimony  of  falsehood  was  of  no  avail.  The  Church 
of  God  was  founded  upon  the  rock  of  Peter,  and  all  sophistry 


28  Christian  Persecutions. 

of  pagan  philosophy  and  all  the  persecution  of  Roman  tyrants 
could  not  prevail  against  it. 

The  first  system  of  religion,  or  rather  doctrine,  outside  of 
pagan  mythology  and  its  reorganization,  which  seriously 
threatened  the  existence  of  the  Church,  was  the  heresy  of 
Gnosis,  one  of  the  so-called  philosophers  in  the  first  ages  of 
Christianity.  This  self-ordained  philosopher  evolved  a  new 
doctrine  which  he  termed  a  true  philosophical  interpretation 
of  the  Christian  religion.  He  claimed  a  deeper  wisdom  than 
all  the  disciples  of  Christ,  and  strove  to  explain  the  existence 
of  God  and  his  creations,  to  explain  Christ  and  his  mission, 
to  demonstrate  the  difference  between  mind  and  matter,  and 
lastly,  to  explain  the  soul  and  its  relation  to  God. 

These  were  great  questions,  but  in  his  broad  assurances 
and  boldness  of  declaration  he  won  admiration,  then  expres- 
sions of  belief,  in  his  great  exposition  of  infinite  knowledge. 
This  Gnostic  doctrine  combined  Oriental  theoloigy  and  Greek 
philosophy  with  the  doctrine  of  Christianity.  They  held  that 
all  natures,  intelligible,  intellectual,  and  material,  are  derived 
from  Deity  by  successive  emanations,  which  they  call  Eons, 
or  divine  spirits.  They  represent  the  Supreme  Being  as 
Bythos,  who  stands  at  the  head  of  all  creation  in  a  world  of 
spirits.  With  him  it  is  either  a  principle  of  good  or  evil. 
Fitim  Bythos  emanates  the  world  of  spirits,  called  Eons,  who 
assist  in  governing  the  universe.  The  god,  Demiurgus,  is 
the  author  of  the  body  and  Bythos  the  producer  of  the  soul. 
As  the<soul  is  of  divine  origin  and  the  body  of  earthy  matter, 
the  uniting  of  tw^o  opposite  elements  is  unnatural,  and  a  union 
of  contradictory   elements  is  the  source  of  evil.     The   Eon, 


Early  Heresies.  29 

Christ,  was  sent  to  communicate  with  the  souls  of  men  and 
inform  them  of  a  higher  Hfe,  and  to  seek  to  overcome  the 
evils  of  body,  and  be  prepared  to  rise  in  its  line  of  pro'gression. 

Much  of  this  part  of  the  belief  is  a  doctrine  of  to-day, 
where  the  soul  is  a  progressive  spirit  going  on  and  on  in  a 
successive  series  of  improvement  until  it  reaches  its  future 
perfection. 

According  to  Gnostics  this  Eon,  Christ,  united  with  the 
man,  Jesus,  where  he  could  better  communicate  with  the 
souls  of  men  and  teach  them  the  path  to  the  highest  plane 
of  spirit  life.  They  teach  that  not  all  Eons  are  capable  of 
even  spirit  life,  but  as  they  represent  all  life  they  remain  as  a 
germ  in  all  matter  which,  under  proper  conditions,  is  brought 
into  real  existence.  As  the  egg  requires  heat  to  produce 
life,  so  in  all  matter  the  germ  of  production  is  ever  ready  for 
future  existence. 

The  Gnostics  divide  men  into  three  classes:  The  Spir- 
itual, Physical  and  Material.  The  Spiritual  are  those  capable 
of  sustaining  the  greatest  knowledge,  the  Physical  pertains 
alone  to  faith,  and  the  Material,  which,  under  the  present 
Eon,  must  fall  into  space  and  wait  for  another  creation. 

To  divide  these  classes  into  doctrines  of  faith,  the  Spiritual 
are  the  real  Gnostics,  the  highest  order  of  worldly  spiritual 
attainment;  the  Physical  is  the  Catholic,  and  founded  on  faith; 
while  the  Material  is  the  unprepared  Spirit,  or  Pagan. 

They  also  divide  their  doctrine  into  two  other  divisions — 
one,  the  esoteric,  or  secret;  the  other,  exoteric,  or  public. 
These  are  taken  from  Pagan  mysteries  and  described  some- 
what   in   mythological   language.      The    secret,    is   the    con- 


30  Christian  Persecutions. 

science,  the  soul  speaking  to  the  body,  the  motive  power  of 
tlie  brain,  the  spirit  Eon.  The  public,  is  the  declaration  of 
the  body,  the  call  for  life,  the  mind  speaking  to  matter,  the 
worldly  thought. 

The  Gnostics  claim  this  heresy  was  taught  by  Christ  and 
his  Apostles,  and  to  sustain  their  doctrine  they  destroyed  por- 
tions of  the  Holy  Bible  and  rebuilt  it  to  meet  their  wants. 
While  Gnosticism  claims  to  be  the  real  Cliristianity^  yet  it 
is  in  utter  contradiction  to  it.  It  is  a  positive  negation,  for 
its  teachings  are  simply  a  system  of  progressions  from  the 
germ  to  the  highest  plane  of  spirit  life.  Besides  this,  they 
teach  that  the  highest  Eons  control  the  Mind,  Reason,  Power, 
Truth,  and  Life;  that  they  are  continually  speaking  to  the  souls 
of  men,  warning,  entreating,  consoling  and  instructing. 

Thus  we  find  that  the  enemies  of  Christ's  Church  are 
continually,  even  to  the  present  day,  devising  creeds  and  isms 
to  defeat  the  real  truth  of  God.  Satan  is  ever  ready  to  tear 
down,  and  even  under  the  cloak  of  religion,  seeks  to  build 
up  a  new  church  and  a  new  dogma  of  worship.  It  is  a  con- 
tinual warring  upon  the  real  faitli  of  Christ  and  tihe  martyr- 
dom of  the  Holy  Catholic  Church. 

From  the  birth  of  Christiaimity  to  the  present  time  there 
has  been  a  constant  resistance,  constant  sacrifice,  .and  con- 
stant application  to  faith.  Men  have  laid  down  their  lives  to 
sustain  it,  and  the  Church  has  continually  fought  to  main- 
tain it,  and  both  have  been  constant  martyrs,  and  will  be, 
from  the  days  of  their  existence  to  the  end  of  time. 


CHAPTER  III. 

PERSECUTION. 

IN  a  review  of  the  persecution  of  the  Catholic  Church  we 
^  are  indebted  to  history  for  the  facts  concerning-  it,  and, 
although,  in  this  volume,  it  is  impossible  to  give  a  minute 
description  of  the  long  line  of  persecutions,  yet  we  can  give 
some  of  the  prominent  features,  leaving  the  reader  to  ponder 
in  his  mind  what  must  have  been  the  awful  situation  during 
the  first  establishment  of  the  Church,  and  during  many  peri- 
ods of  agony  in  the  history  of  our  Christian  Era. 

Our  established  period  of  time  dates  with  the  birth  of 
Christ,  and  is  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era.  Previous 
to  this  time  religion  was  divided  into  two  principal  classes — 
the  Pagan  mythology,  and  the  old  Jewish  worship.  The 
Jews  had  been  God's  chosen  people,  but  in  their  rejection  of 
Christ  a  new  religion  was  ordained,  a  new  Church  estab- 
lished, and  a  new  doctrine  of  faith  was  preached  to  the  people. 

Christ  came  into  the  world  to  set  an  example,  to  teach 
repentance,  to  practice  humility,  to  destroy  idolatry,  and  to 
bear  persecution.  He  found  the  world  without  faith  in  God, 
hope  in  immortality,  or  charity  to  mankind.  It  was  a  strange 
combination  of  intelligence,  ignorance,  superstition,  and  bar- 
barism. The  people  were  intelligent  in  the  pursuits' of  life, 
but  ignorant  in  the  knowledge  of  Divinity.  They  were  super- 
stitious in  all  the  movements  of  nature,  and  brutal  and  bar- 
baric to  those  who  opposed  them. 

31 


32  Christian  Persecutions. 

They  regarded  Christ  as  a  man,  and  God  as  the  mani- 
festation of  many  gods.  They  worshiped  a  deity,  but  believed 
the  spirit  of  that  deity  hved  in  their  idols,  and  was  capable 
of  exercising  pleasure,  wrath,  or  punishment.  They  loved 
their  gods  with  the  devotion  of  blind  fanaticism,  and  when 
the  new  light  of  Christianity  blazed  forth  in  the  glory  of 
Christ,  they  were  jealous  lest  they  should  lose  their  gods, 
and  the  power  they  supposed  watched  over  them  would  be 
removed  forever. 

It  was  this  fear  that  first  raised  their  enmity  against 
Christianity,  and  as  they  saw  its  zeal  and  influence,  they 
sought  to  crush  it  out,  first  by  a  series  of  slow  persecutions, 
tihen  by  confiscation  and  pillage,  then  by  fire,  death  and  cruci- 
fixion. Those  persecutions  were  most  terrible  to  contemplate. 
In  the  confiscation  of  property  they  destroyed  their  churches, 
deprived  them  of  the  liberty  of  worship,  burned  the  emblems 
of  Christ  and  his  crucifixion,  and  publicly  denounced  them 
as  heretics,  offenders  of  the  gods,  and  declared  their  religion 
as  dangerous  to  government,  dangerous  to  the  people,  and 
should  be  suppressed. 

The  weak  often  yielded  to  these  persecutions  and  re- 
nounced Christ,  but  the  faithful  stood  firm  and  unmoved, 
permitting  the  confiscation  of  their  homes  without  murmur  or 
complaint,  viewing  the  destruction  of  their  churches  with 
calmness,  and  even  smiling  as  they  lay  down  their  lives  for 
the  cauSe  of  Christianity.  Beyond  these  mortal  trials  came 
the  visions  of  reward,  the  triumph  of  truth,  and  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  rock  of  salvation.  Although  they  could  not 
realize  how  the  hand  of  God  was  purifying  his  church  by 


Persecution.  33 

winnowing,  through  affliction  and  distress,  the  weak  and  wa- 
vering, yet  they  felt  that  the  love  of  faith  was  a  blessing  far 
greater  than  the  pain  of  persecution. 

From  our  knowledge  of  to-day  we  see  that  these  ene- 
mies of  Christ's  Church  were  but  instruments  in  God's  hand 
to  establish  a  permanent  religion,  a  permanent  gospel  of 
Christ's  love  and  devotion,  a  permanent  instrument  for  re- 
ceiving God's  word,  and'  a  permanent  faith  for  the  deliver- 
ance of  man  from  the  pagan  ^^forld.  We  now  see  the  neces- 
sity of  persecution,  confiscation,  slavery,  and  even  the  call 
to  die  a  martyr's  death.  It  was  to  convince  the  world 
that  the  faith  of  Christianity  was  stronger  than  all  the  tor- 
ments devised  by  man.  It  was  to  establish  a  true  religion  and 
implant  Christ's  salvation  in  the  hearts  of  all  mankind. 

The  pagan  world  was  made  to  feel  that  in  this  new  Chris- 
tianity there  was  something  greater  and  grander  than  the 
worship  of  idols.  It  was  made  to  see  that  there  was  a  reality 
in  religion,  a  reality  in  the  profession  of  this  faith,  when  men 
would  suffer  the  pain  of  persecution,  of  confiscation,  of  fire, 
of  mutilation  of  body,  and  of  death. 

These  pagans  could  not  understand  how  Christians  could 
suffer  and  not  forsake  the  cross  of  their  faith.  It  was  a  new 
order  of  things  to  them.  While  life  to  this  people  was  the 
greatest  of  all  desires,  and  for  which  they  would  sacrifice 
all  pleasure,  all  possessions  and  all  their  gods,  yet  here  was 
an  abiding  faith  against  which  all  the  persecutions  of  hell 
could  not  prevail.  The  martyr's  blood  was  but  the  cement- 
ing of  faith  eternal.  Like  Christ,  they  gave  their  lives  that 
the  foundation  of  faith  and  redemption  might  be  established 
forever. 


34  Christian  Persecutions. 

To  do  this  required  God's  persecution  through  the  hands 
of  his  enemies,  that  the  whole  world  might  see  the  glories 
of  His  Church  established  by  His  only  begotten  Son,  and  to 
endure  forever.  These  measures  may  seem  harsh  and  tmnat- 
ural,  but  we  know  that  it  is  only  by  trouble  and  mis- 
fortune that  we  find  our  real  friends,  and  see  the  departure  of 
those  who  smile  only  when  Hfe's  success  is  with  us.  So, 
too,  is  it  true  in  the  proof  of  faith.  The  love  of  God  in  our 
hecu-ts  is  manifest  wdien  we  enter  the  field  of  persecution.  If 
it  is  there  it  is  proved  beyond  question,  and  at  the  same  time, 
if  there  is  a  lack  of  faith,  that,  too,  is  an  open  proof.  God 
weighed  His  disciples,  and  in  weighing  through  the  persecu- 
tions of  the  body  found  the  dividing  line  between  the  weak 
and  the  strong. 

In  persecution,  not  only  were  there  simple  Christians  who 
fell  by  the  wayside,  but  even  priests  and  bishops  renounced 
their  faith  and  returned  to  the  Pagan  gods,  and  even  gave 
sacrifices  to  them;  but  be  it  to  the  great  glory  of  the  earnest- 
ness of  early  Christianity,  few  renounced  their  faith,  thus 
leaving  a  purified  church,  without  spot  or  blemish.  Like  a 
cleansing  fire  it  cast  out  the  dross,  leaving  only  the  rock  of 
endurance.  It  had  cast  out  the  impure  elements,  which  would 
antagonize  the  true  spirit  of  Christianity  and  become  danger- 
ous in  the  examples  to  be  placed  before  the  world. 

Upon  a  small  monument  over  the  grave  of  the  author's 
*?nly  sister  is  inscribed  the  following  epitaph: 

Hard  at  times  seem  the  ways  of  G-od, 

When  He  takes  to  Himself  -wliat  He  has  given; 
When  we  lay  our  idols  under  the  sod. 

Leaving  naught  but  a  thought  of  heaven. 


Persecution.  35 

Yes,  hard  at  times  seem  the  ways  of  God  when  we  meet 
afifliction,  when  our  loved  ones  die,  when  our  supposed  friends 
drop  behind  us,  when  we  are  vilHfied,  persecuted  with  false- 
hood, and  unjustly  judged.  But  in  all  this  persecution,  let 
us  remember  that,  like  the  radiant  light  cast  by  the  crucifixion 
of  Christ  and  his  Apostle  Peter,  and  by  the  establishment  of 
His  Church  upon  the  rock  of  immortality,  the  faith  in  God 
can  never  fall.  Remember  that,  although  we  may  become 
martyrs  to  worldly  persecution,  yet  the  everlasting  lines  of 
the  poet  can  never  die. 

"Truth  crushed  to  earth  shall  rise  ag'ain. 
The  eternal  years  of  God  are  hers; 
But  Error,  wounded,  writhes  with  pain. 
And  dies  among  his  worshipers." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

RETROSPECT. 

FEW,  excepting  those  who  have  made  a  study  of  the 
origin  and  progress  of  the  Catholic  religion,  realize  the 
terrible  persecution  which  the  Christians  suffered  in  the  early 
days  of  the  Church.  When  we  contemplate  the  deep  intensity 
and  the  wicked  determination  of  the  enemies  of  Christianity 
to  crush  it  out  of  existence  and  destroy  the  religion  of  Christ, 
we  can  only  wonder  how  one  single  soul  could  withstand 
the  awful  cruelty,  the  awful  test  of  faith  which  the  pagan 
world,  without  mercy  or  compassion,  forced  Christians  to 
bear.  Frenzied  with  madness  at  their  inability  to  compel 
them  to  renounce  their  Savior,  they  decreed  the  direst  punish- 
ment which  blood-thirsty  monarchs  could  invent.  Not  con- 
tent with  the  co'nfiscation  of  property  and  imprisonment, 
these  martyrs  to  Christ's  Church  were  tortured  beyond 
description.  No  pen  can  picture  the  awful  cruelties  which 
were  imposed  upon  them.  Taken  from  dark  prisons  reeking 
with  vilest  filth  almost  to  suffocation,  with  stones  for  pillows, 
threatened  with  starvation,  without  water  to  quench  their 
burning  thirst,  scourged  with  whips  unitil  the  body  dropped 
from  exhaustion,  tortured  with  fire,  with  rack,  with  all  the 
devilish  ingenuity  which  a  monarch  could  devise,  and  then, 
in  contrast  to  this  wretched  and  all-consuming  pain,  offered 
freedom  of  life,  the  sweets  of  plenty,  the  promotion  of  place, 
the  society  of  equals,  and  all  the  favors  of  life,  and  beauty, 

36 


Retrospect.  37 

and  indulg"ence.  With  woe,  misery  .and  death  on  one  side, 
and  apparent  happiness  and  plenty  on  the  other,  is  it  not, 
indeed,  a  miracle  that  one  follower  of  Christ  could  still  be 
found?  Although  the  Christians  suffered  the  tortures  of  a 
thousand  deaths,  and  knew  the  unspeakable  agony  they  must 
endure,  yet  without  a  word  of  malice  or  reproach,  without 
complaint  they  would  turn  away  from  the  proflfered  feast  of 
plenty  and  face  the  hideous  penalties  of  persecution,  suflfering 
themselves  to  be  devoured  by  beasts,  torn  limb  from. limb  by 
racing  horses,  burned  at  the  stake  by  a  slow  fire  and  enduring 
the  horrors  of  a  lingering  death,  to  be  crucified  head  down- 
ward or  racked  with  the  awful  devices  for  torment  and  pain. 

Who  can  say  that  this  sustaining  faith  is  not  a  miracle 
of  God?  Christ  suffered  the  indignities  of  persecution  and 
died  as  an  emblem  of  true  faith,  as  a  martyr  to  the  establish- 
ment of  His  Church,  and  as  an  example  that  the  eternal 
fruits  of  devotion  can  never  die.  He  set  the  example  of  per- 
secution, of  humility,  of  devotion  to  God's  love,  and  in  the 
bitterness  of  pain  and  death,  he  exemplified  the  great  prin- 
ciple of  forbearance.  "Father,  forgive,  they  know  not  what 
they  do.''  He  asked  of  his  followers  niothing  he  would  not 
do  himself.  He  asked  them  to  be  faithful  even  unto  the 
end,  to  yield  not  to  temptation,  but  remain  an  example  of 
Christian  faith;  that  it  is  not  of  earth  we  live,  but  in  the 
expectation  and  promise  of  eternal  life. 

The  idolatrous  world  was  in  a  desperate  condition,  arnd  it 
required  desperate  measures  to  redeem  it.  The  influence  of  the 
mythical  gods  had  permeated  every  crack  and  crevice  of  the 
social  and  moral  structure  of  man.  God  was  an  outcast  among 


38  Christian  Persecutions. 

the  people  He  had  loved.  He  had  once  deluged  the  world 
that  those  who  loved  Him  not  might  be  removed  from  the 
face  of  the  earth.  He  had  saved  His  chosen  people  at  various 
times,  and  He  had  promised  them  a  Messiah,  but  when  Christ 
came  they  received  him  not,  and  to  prove  to  the  idolatrous 
world  that  Christ  was  indeed  sent  by  God,  that  he  should 
establish  a  new  Church,  that  redemption  through  the  blood 
of  Christ  shall  be  the  necessity  for  future  generations,  he 
allowed  this  persecution  to  prove  to  the  world  that  the 
Christian's  faith  was  stronger  than  persecution,  stronger  than 
life,  and  stronger  than  the  temptations  of  Satan. 

To  punish  his  enemies  without  furnishing  proof  of  devo- 
tion was  to  inflict  a  chastisement  without  giving  the  evidence 
of  a  better  life.  He  must  first  establish  his  Church  and  in  the 
devotion  of  its  followers  prove  its  divinity,  prove  its  power  of 
endurance,  its  love  to  mankind,  its  forgiveness  of  evil,  and  its 
absolution  of  sin. 

Rome  had  quenched  the  fire  of  truth,  and  debauchery 
of  mind  and  body  was  the  ruling  passion  of  her  people.  They 
reveled  in  the  vices  of  corruption,  drank  the  wine  of  passion, 
and  worshiped  the  idols  of  mythical  gods.  They  erected 
statues  to  Venus,  the  god  of  beauty;  to  Vulcan,  the  god  of 
fire;  to  ^olus,  the  god  of  wind;  ,to  Juno,  the  queen  of  all 
the  gods;  to  Mars  and  Neptune,  and  Minerva  and  Fortuna. 
They  erected  altars  to  all  the  gods  and  burned  incense  to  their 
glory,  and  offered  sacrifices  to  appease  their  wrath.  If  any  dis- 
aster overtook  them  they  flew  to  their  gods  and  ofifered  up 
petitions  of  grief.  They  consulted  them  in  every  transaction 
of  life.    They  bowed  before  them  and  supplicated  for  divine 


Retrospect.  39 

aid.  They  were  schooled  in  idolatry,  and  were  lost  beyond 
exhortation.  They  had  no  faith  beyond  the  faith  that  their 
myriads  of  gods  could  control  destiny. 

Had  Christ  come  in  all  the  pomp  and  ceremony  of  a 
royal  king-,  had  he  been  clothed  in  purple  robes  of  greatness, 
the  Jews  might  have  received  him  as  th'e  promised  Messiah, 
but  to  be  born  in  a  mang^er,  to  come  as  a  lowly  child,  to  be 
great  only  in  his  love  for  all  mankind,  was  humiliating  to 
their  proud  spirits.  They  had  pictured  him  as  a  being  full  of 
the  power  of  vengeance  who  would  destroy  their  enemies,  a 
leader  of  conquests,  and  a  king  of  kings.  They  had  suffered 
trials  and  tribulations  in  the  expectation  of  a  strong  deliver- 
ance, but  when  Christ  appeared  as  a  man  without  fame  or 
fortune,  without  the  evidence  of  royal  nobility,  and  without 
the  apparent  power  of  a  conquering  hero,  they  rebelled  and 
sought  to  persecute.  They  refused  his  doctrine  of  faith,  of 
forbearance,  and  of  love.  They  denied  his  divinity,  and  with 
the  pagan  world  sought  to  nullify  his  mission,  destroy  his 
teachings,  as  well  as  his  plan  of  salvation. 

In  view  of  this  reception,  it  became  imperative  to  establish 
a  new  church,  a  new  gospel  of  repentance,  and  a  new  foun- 
dation from  which  the  teachings  of  Christ  might  be  pro- 
claimed to  the  whole  world.  On  this  foundation  he  author- 
ized his  disciples  to  go  into  the  world  and  preach  repentance. 
Thus  was  established  the  Church  of  Christ.  He  had  no 
creed  but  the  Word  of  God.  He  was  sent  to  preach  repent- 
ance, to  teach  compassion,  to  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself, 
to  bear  no  vengeance  or  malice,  to  teach  purity  of  mind  and 


40  Christian  Persecutions. 

body,  to  bear  persecution,  and  through  the  fullness  of  love 
redeem  man  from  the  depths  of  sin  which  then  prevailed. 

It  was  the  commencement  of  a  new  life  of  atonement,  and 
though  it  was  his  wish  to  avoid  draining  the  cup  of  bitter- 
ness, yet  as  it  was  his  father's  will,  he  would  give  up  his 
life  for  the  redemption  of  man.  He  came  in  lowly  birth  to 
teach  the  people  that  in  the  sight  of  God  no  favor  attaches 
to  either  position  or  wealth,  no  inequality  exists  but  such  as 
is  caused  by  the  blight  of  sin,  that  there  are  no  ties  but  the  ties 
of  faith,  no  hope  but  the  hope  of  immortaHty,  and  no  resur- 
rection but  by  the  power  of  Christ.  He  died,  but  through  his 
death  there  arose  the  bright  sun  of  understandinig.  Its  rays 
tell  upon  the  hearts  of  ignorance  and  superstition.  The  eyes 
of  mankind  were  opened  to  the  beauties  of  Christianity,  They 
saw  the  wonderful  exposition  of  faith,  love  and  devotion. 
They  saw  the  God  of  the  Universe,  in  all  the  glory  of  his 
greatness,  pleading  through  Christ,  our  Redeemer,  for  the 
salvation  of  all  men.  It  was  a  new  revelation  of  the  existence 
of  eternal  life.  The  old  theory  of  Mythology  was  being  ex- 
posed by  the  existence,  or  presence,  of  the  Son  of  God.  An 
idolatrous  world  was  for  the  first  time  listening  to  the  teach- 
ings of  repentance,  of  true  worship,  of  Christianity.  It  was 
indeed  a  revelation^ — a  mysterious  future  laid  open  by  expla- 
nation, by  instruction,  and  by  admonition.  It  was  no  longer 
the  speculation  of  philosophy,  but  the  reality  of  presence,  of 
seeing,  and  hearing.  Christ  taught,  and  his  words  fell  upon 
the  soil  of  willing  hearts,  and  the  thoughts  grew  and  spread 
as  a  great  tree,  sending  forth  its  beauties  of  expression,  its 
light  of  redemption,  and  its  glorious  salvation. 


Retrospect.  41 

But  it  has  been  a  constant  battle  of  persecution  from  the 
time  Christ  came  into  this  life  until  the  present  day.  At  times 
it  has  been  a  persecution  by  fire  and  sword,  of  life  and  death, 
and  of  confiscation  and  ruin.  At  others  it  has  been  a  persecu- 
tion of  liberty,  of  equal  rights,  and  of  despotic  oppression. 
Governments  have  raised  the  strong  arm  of  power  against  it. 
Catholics  have  been  denied  place  and  preferment.  They  have 
been  driven  from  commonwealths,  branded  as  heretics,  ostra- 
cised from  society,  and  publicly  outraged  because  of  their 
religion.  Philosophers  of  Reason  have  denied  their  worship, 
ridiculed  their  observances,  denounced  their  institutions  as 
relics  of  barbarism,  their  faith  as  ignorance,  and  their  cross 
as  the  fanatic's  emblem  of  misguided  hope.  All  these,  and 
more,  has  the  Catholic  Church  suffered  at  the  hands  of  per- 
sons of  supposed  enlightenment. 

The  Pope  has  been  stripped  of  his  temporal  powers.  Tlie 
land  of  his  nativity  has  been  absorbed  by  the  power  of  the 
State,  and  while  the  head  of  the  Church  stands  to-day  as  the 
greatest  diplomat  of  all  Europe  or  America,  yet  in  the  rights 
'  of  nations  the  Vatican  is  shorn  of  its  power  to  govern,  except 
as  it  touches  the  heart,  the  mind,  and  the  conscience.  The 
Pope  is  the  great  exponent  of  peace,  friendship,  and  good 
will  to  all  nations.  His  blessings  are  spread  over  all  land.s, 
over  all  nations,  and  into  all  hearts.  His  labors  are  for  the 
development  of  Christianjity,  for  the  betterment  of  mankind, 
and  for  the  advancement  of  peace,  harmony,  and  prosperity. 


(4) 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  TYRANT  NERO. 

IN  the  establishment  of  Christianity  the  people  of  Rome 
were  not  particularly  interested.  They  heard  of  the  declara- 
tions of  this  new  worship,  but  as  its  followers  appeared  to 
be  harmless,  and  in  no  way  dangerous  to  government,  they 
were  not  molested,  but  considered  an  inoffensive  Jewish  sect. 
They  even  appeared  willing  to  recognize  Christ  as  some  form 
of  a  divine  being. 

So  far  did  this  sentiment  gain  ascendency  among  the 
people  that  the  Emperor  Tiberius,  at  one  time,  contemplated 
placing  Christ  among  the  Roman  gods,  but  the  crucifixion  of 
our  Savior  in  a  remote  province  of  his  empire  caused  him 
to  forget  his  purpose,  and  even  to  forget  the  nature  of  Chris- 
tian teachings. 

This  condition  of  toleration  was  of  short  duration,  for  soon 
the  blind  fury  of  an  excited  and  superstitious  heathenish  pop- 
ulation burst  forth  in  the  awful  scenes  of  persecution,  and 
continued  for  the  first  three  hundred  years  after  the  birth  of 
Christianity.  This  persecution  became  so  great  that  it  seemed 
as  though  not  one  follower  of  Christ  could  survive  the  power 
of  tyrants  and  continue  the  work  designed  by  God  in  the 
conversion  of  a  heathen  world. 

The  commencement  of  these  studied  persecutions  was 
under  the  Emperor  Nero  in  the  tenth  year  of  his  reign,  or 
about  the  year  of  our  Lord  04.     The  first  five  years  of  his 


The  Tykant  Nero.  43 

reign  he  ruled  with  moderation  and  equity.  During  this  time 
he  was  under  the  influence  of  the  renowned  philosopher  and 
moraUst  Seneca,  but  becoming  flushed  with  the  pride  of  being 
the  emperor  of  the_great  Roman  empire,  he  broke  away  from 
the  teachings  and  guidance  of  his  teacher  and  entered  upon  a 
career  filled  with  the  most  horrible  crimes  and  the  most  de- 
basing luxuries  which  could  be  devised.  His  crimes  were  of 
almost  incredible  enormity,  and  his  selfish  passions  were  be- 
yond description. 

The  dagger  and  the  poison  were  the  studied  means  of 
revenge,  and  also  of  deliberate  murder.  The  use  of  poison 
was  a  regular  profession,  which  was  employed  by  the  pagan 
to  remove  those  who  had  incurred  his  hatred,  or  who  pos- 
sessed wealth  which  he  sought  to  obtain. 

So  rapidly  grew  Nero's  evil  tendencies  that  in  the  year 
04,  or  the  tenth  year  of  his  government,  he  determined  to 
gratify  his  desires  by  seeing  a  city  burn,  and  according  to 
historic  records  he  ordered  the  burning  of  Rome,  which  laid 
in  ashes  more  than  one  half  of  that  renowned  city.  It  is  said 
that,  after  ordering  this  conflagration,  he  retired  to  the  roof 
of  his  palace  to  enjoy  the  spectacle  and  to  amuse  himself 
by  playing  upon  his  violin  and  singing  the  "Sack  of  Troy," 
a  poem  which  he  had  composed  for  the  occasion. 

It  was  soon  rumored  that  Nero  had  produced  the  destruc- 
tion of  Rome,  and  the  people  were  loud  in  their  declared 
vengeance  against  this  inhuman  treatment.  Tl^ey  were  about 
to  rise  in  revolt  and  to  demand  that  Nero  should  be  burned 
as  a  just  punishment  for  his  awful  crime,  when  he  cunningly 
raised  the  crv  that  he  had  discovered  the  power  of  the  Chris- 


44  Christian  Persecutions. 

tians.  They  were  in  league  with  the  gods  of  destruction, 
and  had  now  fulfilled  the  prophecy  of  their  Lord.  He  accused 
them  of  conspiring  to  destroy  the  city,  and  as  proof  of  this 
consummation  of  their  prophecies  he  read  to  the  people  that 
the  Christian  doctrine  taught  of  the  second  coming  of  Christ, 
and  the  destruction  of  the  world  by  fire.  As  Rome  was  the 
center  of  the  world,  the  power,  and  the  glory  of  the  people, 
it  was  but  natural  that  they  would  strike  their  first  blow  at 
the  head,  the  center,  and  from  this  engulf  the  whole  world, 
destroying  all  the  people  except  those  who  followed  Christ. 

Nero  was  alarmed  at  his  own  deeds  of  violence.  He  had 
aroused  his  people  and  now  he  must  circumvent  their  fury. 
Flaming  announcements  were  posted  everywhere.  "The 
Christians  burned  Rome."  "The  Christians  must  be  de- 
stroyed." "The  Christians  have  defiled  our  gods."  "The 
gods  must  be  avenged."  Thus  he  sowed  the  seeds  of  sus- 
picion and  of  vengeance,  and  transferred  the  guilt  of  Nero  to 
the  followers  of  Christ, 

These  accusations  took  root  and  spread  with  the  rapidity 
of  an  all-devouring  vengeance.  The  people  read  these  head- 
lines, and  they  believed  the  Christians  guilty  of  the  destruc- 
tion of  Rome,  of  the  practice  of  a  shameful  worship,  and 
the  desecration  of  their  gods.  They  became  willing  tools 
in  the  hands  of  this  treacherous  monarch,  and  they  would  now 
scourge,  kill,  burn,  or  destroy  this  hated  sect  of  Christian 
followers.  They  believed  the  doctrine  of  the  world's  destruc- 
tion had  begun  in  the  burning  of  Rome. 

Nero  had  allayed  suspicion,  and  now  he  must  destroy  the 
enemies   of  Pagan  idolatry.     The    Christians   had    declared 


The  Tyrant  Nero.  45 

against  their  gods,  and  because  of  their  heresy  they  must 
be  executed.  They  saw  that  the  influence  of  Christ  was  work- 
ing in  the  hearts  of  their  people,  and  they  cried  aloud  to 
their  gods  to  sweep  them  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  Nero 
was  being  besieged  from  every  direction  to  destroy  this  sect 
of  infidelity,  to  avenge  Rome,  and  to  defend  their  gods. 

He  had  succeeded  in  his  designs;  suspicion  was  allayed, 
and  now  all  Pagan  Rome  looked  to  the  Christians  as  the 
source  of  their  misfortunes.  The  conversions  to  Christ  were 
daily  growing  faster  and  faster,  and  louder  and  louder  clam- 
ored the  people  against  them.  It  was  now  the  annihilation 
of  Christian  worship  and  not  the  execution  of  a  supposed 
justice.  God  was  being  glorified  and  His  faith  was  spreading 
in  every  direction.  The  Pagan  gods  were  being  insulted, 
and  the  Pagan  gods  must  be  preserved. 

Under  the  reign  of  this  greatest  of  persecutors  the  Chris- 
tians were  universally  assailed,  their  possessions  confiscated, 
their  freedom  of  worship  denied,  and  their  bodies  persecuted. 
Thousands  were  sacrificed,  and  yet  the  faith  grew  faster  and 
faster.  Slaves,  citizens,  and  even  the  Senate,  were  secretly 
recognizing  the  divinity  of  Christ.  Nero,  seeing  that  Chris- 
tianity was  not  awed  by  his  threats  of  direful  vengeance,  re- 
solved to  make  them  a  spectacle  of  public  exhibition  in  the 
arenas  where  combats  between  wild  beasts  and  bulls  made 
glad  the  brutal  nature  of  his  people. 

He  would  gladden  their  hearts  with  an  exhibition  never 
before  attempted  by  man.  It  should  be  on  a  magnificent  scale, 
grand  and  inspiring.  Notices  were  published  and  criers  sent 
in  every  direction  announcing  that  Nero  had  decided  to  pub- 


46  Christian  Persecutions. 

licly  execute  the  hated  Christians.  Tihey  were  again  informed 
of  the  evil  influences  of  these  followers  of  Christ.  All  their 
misfortunes  were  but  the  visitation  of  wrath  from  their  myth- 
ical gods  for  tolerating  even  the  presence  of  the  Christian 
people. 

They  were  denounced  as  blasphemers  against  their  gods; 
as  developing  a  system  of  witchcraft  by  which  they  could 
destroy  every  city  on  earth;  that  they  hated  men,  poisoned 
springs  and  showered  curses  on  Rome  and  all  the  temples  in 
which  their  gods  were  honored.  Christ  was  crucified,  but  he 
promised  when  Rome  was  destroyed  by  fire,  he  would  come 
again  and  give  Christians  dominion  over  the  world. 

People  were  now  aroused  in  tiheir  consternation  at  such 
wonderful  power.  They  believed  in  its  possibiHty.  Their 
superstitions  knew  no  bounds.  They  could  now  understand 
why  Rome  was  destroyed.  Away  with  the  traitors,  the  de- 
stroyers of  peace,  the  murderers  of  children.  They  secretly 
meet  to  practice  their  shameless  ceremonies.  They  are  oath- 
bound  to  intrigue  against  Nero,  against  our  gods,  and  in 
their  witchcraft  they  are  dangerous  and  must  be  ^executed, 
otherwise  we  shall  become  their  victims  and  their  slaves. 
Arouse,  Romans!  and  crush  out  this  sect  of  infidelity  and 
purge  Rome  of  its  curse. 

The  people  were  wild  with  excitement.  Great  multitudes 
gathered  to  demand  an  execution  of  justice.  The  fiery  zeal 
of  paganism  grew  fiercer  and  fiercer.  To  the  lions  with  the 
Christians!  To  the  lions!  was  the  loud  cry  of  the  populace. 
Flaming  announcements  of  the  decision  of  Nero  were  posted 
everywhere.     Floats  of  every  description  were  carried  to  in- 


The  Tyrant  Nero.  47 

flame  the  passions,  bands  of  little  children  were  escorted 
through  the  streets  crying  for  justice.  The  gods  were  taken 
from  the  temples  and  exhibited  to  the  people.  Rome  was 
mad  with  intoxication;  business  was  suspended;  slaves  were 
given  a  day's  freedom;  feasts  were  prepared  everywhere,  wine 
was  served  to  everyone,  and  all  the  ogres  of  hell  were  loosed 
to  push  the  power  of  frenzy. 

The  plans  of  Nero  were  fruiting  to  a  thousandfold.  All 
Rome  clamored  to  witness  the  execution  of  the  Christians. 
There  was  no  place  to  meet  this  wonderful  demonstration. 
It  was  the  largest  that  the  city  had  ever  seen.  Build  a  new 
amphitheater  was  the  command  of  Nero.  Thousands  of 
workmen  were  employed  and  in  an  incredibly  short  space 
of  time  a  vast  structure  was  erected.  Its  dimensions  were 
beyond  the  thought  of  possibility.  Its  grandeur  served  to 
magnify  the  greatness  of  Nero.  Gods  were  erected  at  the 
entrances  to  bless  the  work  of  Csesar.  Rome  should  be 
exalted  and  its  destruction  avenged.  Persecution  was  to  de- 
stroy the  last  vestige  of  witchcraft.  Heresy  would  be  over- 
thrown and  Rome  would  be  free. 

The  day  of  execution  arrived.  The  week  of  revelry  had 
destroyed  manhood.  The  wild  mobs  grew  wilder  in  excite- 
ment. The  fever  of  wine  surged  in  their  veins.  The  mad 
tumult  of  uncontrolled  fury  was  raging.  To  the  lions  with 
the  Christians,  again  resounded  from  a  hundred  thousand 
throats.  The  vast  amphitheater  was  filled  to  its  utmost.  The 
great  work  of  execution  was  to  begin.  Lions,  tigers,  leopards, 
and  wild  dogs  were  caged,  ready  for  the  human  feast.  The 
shrill  notes  of  the  trumpet  sounded,  and  all  eyes  were  turned 


48  Christian  Persecutions. 

to  the  arena.  A  side  door  opened  and  a  thousand  Christians 
entered,  each  carrying  the  cross  of  crucifixion.  Although  pale 
in  the  anticipation  of  death,  yet  they  stood  firm  and  unmoved. 
They  knelt  upon  the  sands  of  the  arena  in  silent  embrace. 
They  kissed  the  cross  of  their  faith  with  feverish  passion. 
They  raised  their  eyes  to  heaven  in  mute  supplication  and 
awaited  their  doom. 

There  was  a  deep  roar  of  the  lions  as  they  bounded  into 
the  arena,  but  not  a  muscle  quivered  in  the  condemned  Chris- 
tians. They  were  lost  in  their  supplications  to  God.  They  had 
raised  themselves  above  the  body  and  were  in  communion 
with  Christ.  They  had  weighed  the  load  of  persecution,  but 
naught  could  shake  their  faith.  They  chose  death  to  a  life  of 
idolatry.  The  die  was  cast,  and  all  the  pagan  world  could 
not  prevail. 

The  lions  leaped  for  their  prey.  Heads  were  crushed,  limbs 
torn  from  the  body,  entrails  scattered  over  the  sands  of  the 
arena,  and  the  fumes  of  blood  penetrated  to  every  part  of  the 
amphitheater.  Out  with  all  the  wild- beasts,  came  the  order  of 
Nero.  The  cages  of  tigers,  leopards  and  wild  dogs  were  loos- 
ened, and  the  mob  howled  in  its  delight.  Pandemonium  in 
all  its  hideous  realm  now  reigned  supreme.  Men,  like  in- 
carnate devils,  raved  in  mad  deHrium.  The  roar  of  wild 
beasts  added  to  the  crazed  and  awful  scene.  Five  hundred 
Christians  had  now  perished.  The  wild  beasts  were  being 
sated  with  blood.  The  lions  crept  back  to  their  dens.  The 
tigers  had  lost  their  fierceness.  The  leopards  and  dogs  lay 
down  to  rest,  and  yet  hundreds  of  Christians  remained  un- 
harmed.    The  infuriated  multitude,  not  yet  satisfied,   cried, 


The  Tyeant  Nero.  49 

Crucify  them!  Crucify  them!  The  patience  of  the  Christians 
only  increased  the  anger  of  the  populace.  They  would  die, 
but  they  would  not  repent.  They  would  honor  Christ,  but 
they  would  not  honor  Caesar.  Csesar  was  god,  and  Csesar 
must  be  worshiped. 

Slaves  were  ordered  to  dig  holes  and  make  crosses.  Offi- 
cers were  sent  out  to  arrest  the  Apostle  Peter  and  other  fol- 
lowers. Feasts  were  again  prepared  and  more  wine  served  to 
the  populace.  Holidays  were  extended.  The  anticipated  en- 
joyment of  seeing  the  Christians  flee  like  wild  rabbits  from 
the  lions  and  tigers  was  a  disappointment.  They  were  robbed 
of  half  their  anticipated  pleasure.  Their  non-resistance  and 
lack  of  terror  incensed  them  beyond  expression.  A  madness 
seized  the  persecutors.  Mobs  wrested  Christians  from  the 
hands  of  officers  and  tore  them  to  pieces.  Women  were 
dragged  by  the  hair  until  death  came  to  their  rescue.  Chil- 
dren were  dashed  against  stones.  There  was  no  pity.  The 
rushing,  howling  mob  came  bellowing  with  rage.  Their  brute 
natures  arose  in  their  insane  desire  for  vengeance. 

Tlie  prisons  were  overflowing  with  thousands.  New  vic- 
tims were  gathered  from  every  direction  and  the  air  seemed 
filled  with  blood,  crime  and  madness.  It  was  the  outbreak 
of  hell  in  all  its  ghastly  fierceness,  and  yet  the  true  Christian 
remained  calm  and  unmoved.  The  Romans  had  never  before 
beheld  such  stolid  indiflference.  They  believed  they  were 
possessed  of  devils  and  must  be  exterminated.  The  safety  of 
the  city  required  it.  Csesar  and  their  gods  had  demanded  it. 
The  work  of  building  the  crosses  was  finished.  That 
vast  arena  was  a  sea  of  crosses.    They  were  planted  as  a  field 


50  Christian  Persecutions. 

of  corn.  Every  foot  of  space  was  used  for  crucifixion.  The 
work  being  finished,  the  multitude  was  called  to  witness  the 
execution.  Again  was  that  amphitheater  filled  to  overflow- 
ing, and  again  was  the  populace  wild  with  frenzied  joy.  The 
Christians  were  marched  in  a  body  before  the  seat  of  Nero, 
who,  in  a  loud  voice,  proclaimed  himself  the  Emperor  of  all 
Rome,  and  the  divine  power  of  the  gods.  He  asked  them  to 
renounce  their  faith  in  Christ  and  return  to  the  religion  of  the 
gods.  Thou  hast  seen  the  vengeance  of  my  people.  Thou 
knowest  my  power.  The  lions  tore  your  brethren  and  drank 
their  blood.  I  will  crucify  thee  as  the  Jews  crucified  your 
Christ.    Choose  ye  the  two  paths — life  or  death. 

Behold!  My  voice  shall  proclaim  thy  freedom  if  you  but 
denounce  your  faith.  Listen!  Tlie  people  want  vengeance. 
They  want  not  one  victim,  but  hundreds,  thousands.  They 
are  met  to  see  thy  crucifixion.  They  believe  you  are  the 
enemies  of  Rome,  of  Caesar.  They  believe  you  look  upon 
our  gods  as  not  gods;  that  you  practice  witchcraft,  harbor 
devils,  commune  with  evil  spirits,  breed  disaster,  and  above 
all,  that  you  burned  Rome.  Hear  ye,  O  Christians!  Again 
does  Nero  stoop  to  ofifer  you  life  and  happiness.  What  say 
you? 

A  hush  fell  upon  that  vast  assembly.  A  tall  young  man 
stepped  from  the  throng  of  Christians,  and  raising  his  arm, 
pointed  to  heaven,  calmly  answered:  Csesar,  thou  hast  mis- 
judged us.  No  man  can  bring  aught  against  us.  Our  belief 
is  one  of  brotherly  love,  the  care  for  the  sick,  the  lame,  the 
blind,  and  the  friendless.  Our  lives  are  one  devotion  to  truth, 
to  God,  to  Christ.    Though  you  slay  us,  yet  will  we  not  be 


The  Tyrant  Nero.  51 

avenged.  Our  mission  is  one  of  love,  and  peace,  and  good- 
will to  all  mankind.  Our  faith  is  in  the  promise  of  God,  that 
he  who  endureth  to  the  end  shall  be  saved.  The  sin  you  see 
in  us  is  the  faith  we  have  in  our  blessed  Savior.  It  is  founded 
upon  the  i-ock  of  Peter  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail 
against  us. 

Ye  persecute.  Why?  forsooth,  because  we  are  Christians. 
Ye  may  throw  us  to  the  wild  beasts,  yet  ye  cannot  break 
our  faith.  Ye  may  crucify  us,  tear  us  limb  from  limb,  yet  the 
spirit  of  Christianity  can  never  die.  Rome  may  thirst  for 
our  blood,  yet  the  eternal  city  shall  be  saved.  Nero  shall 
die,  but  Christ  shall  live.  We  ask  not  for  life;  we  give  it, 
as  Qirist  gave  his,  for  the  salvation  of  men.  The  example 
of  our  faith  will  live  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  come  after 
us.  Each  groan  in  the  agony  of  our  death  will  be  answered 
by  a  thousand  supplications  for  mercy.  We  go  that  Rome 
may  live. 

The  God  of  the  universe  has  said  that  our  persecution 
shall  not  stay  the  tide  of  faith,  but  that  it  shall  increase 
a  thousandfold.  With  this  assurance  we  are  glad  to 
die;  glad  to  lay  down  our  lives  on  tlie  same  crucifix  as  He 
who  set  the  example  before  us.  Oh!  Nero,  your  persecutions 
are  but  agencies  to  spread  the  truth  of  God.  We  bear  you 
no  maHce,  but  in  the  language  of  Christ  we  cry:  "Father, 
forgive  them;  they  know  not  what  they  do."  Rome  to-day 
thirsts  for  our  blood.  Rome  to-morrow  will  bend  in  suppli- 
cation to  the  will  of  God.  Blow  ye  your  trumpets;  we  are 
ready. 

The  hush  of  suspense  was  broken  by.  Crucify  them!  Cru- 
cify them! 


52  Christian  PERSEcuTioisrs. 

Nero's  face  was  purple  with  excitement.  He  stamped 
his  feet  wath  rage.  Never  before  had  men  dared  to  address 
him  thus.  His  revenge  could  be  only  the  consummation  of 
his  plans.  Theirs  was  a  victory  in  submission.  No  power 
could  break  their  faith.  Threats,  prisons,  beasts  and  cruci- 
fixion could  not  prevail.  He  was  powerless  to  accomplish 
more  than  death.  A  thousand  slaves  made  haste  to  execute 
the  order  of  Nero.  Without  hesitation  they  extended  their 
arms  for  crucifixion.  There  was  no  struggle  for  life,  no 
cry  for  mercy,  no  demonstration  of  terror.  With  a  smile  of 
faith  they  submitted  to  the  terrible  pain  and  closed  their  eyes 
in  submission  to  the  will  of  God. 

The  crucifixion  was  a  scene  of  blood  without  excitement. 
The  satisfaction  to  the  multitude  grew  less  and  less  until 
they  began  to  question  each  other,  "What  manner  of  men 
are  these"?  "These  men  cannot  be  guilty  of  crime."  "They 
show  no  malice."  "What  is  their  faith"?  "What  is  the  secret 
of  their  submission"?  "What  is  their  power  of  control,  their 
endurance"?  "Is  their  Christ  a  Divinity"?  Thus  had  com- 
menced the  thought  of  investigation.  The  leavening  power  of 
crucifixion  was  at  work,  and  the  multitude  of  Rome  was  fast 
leaning  to  confession. 

Nero  was  being  defeated,  but  he  swore  that  every  hated 
Christian  should  die.  Once  more  he  sought  to  rid  Rome 
of  the  Christian  faith.  They  had  said  they  would  die  for 
Rome  and  they  shall  die.  Not  a  child  shall  remain  to  breed 
this  accursed  creed.  My  power  shall  be  obeyed.  Is  Christ 
greater  than  our  gods?  No!  Then  down  with  this  witch- 
craft, and  crush  out  forever  the  heresy  that  is  dividing  Rome. 


The  Tyrant  Nero.  53 

Nero  g-ave  notice  that  in  two  weeks  he  would  prepare  a 
great  surprise  for  his  people — a  new  pleasure  of  such  magni- 
tude that  the  scenes  in  the  amphitheater  would  be  as  noth- 
ing. He  would  astonish  them  with  a  new  spectacle  of  Chris- 
tian persecution.  The  royal  gardens  would  be  opened  to  the 
grand  spectacle.  It  would  be  a  night  exhibition.  Great  curi- 
osity prevailed  among  the  people.  What  new  thing  is  it 
that  Caesar  has  done?  Caesar  is  grand  and  powerful,  and 
Caesar  cannot  disappoint. 

The  gates  were  opened  and  down  the  long  garden  of 
beautiful  flowers,  and  shrubs,  and  trees,  and  running  brooks 
the  crowd  surged,  and  great  was  their  amazement.  The  en- 
tire landscape  was  dotted  with  pillars  highly  decorated  with 
gorgeous  flowers,  with  ivy,  myrtle  and  cHnging  vines.  To 
these  pillars,  almost  hidden  by  the  wreaths  of  ivy,  were 
chained  the  condemned  Christians.  So  great  were  their  num- 
bers that  it  seemed  as  though  a  whole  nation  was  imprisoned. 
Beneath  the  outward  covering  were  concealed  quantities  of 
pitch  and  oil  and  wood. 

The  people  were  promised  a  new  spectacle  of  persecution, 
but  the  preparation  of  these  thousands  of  pillars  with  human 
beings  produced  consternation  and  astonishment.  Hate 
turned  to  pity,  and  pity  to  fear.  There  was  no  cry  of  death. 
The  multitude  were  glutted  with  blood.  Rome  was  now  dead 
to  persecution.  This  last  act  of  Nero  was  to  be  the  overthrow 
of  pagan  strength.     Christianity  must  soon  prevail. 

Darkness  came,  and  the  weird  surroundings  were  broken 
only  by  the  murmur  of  Christian  prayer.  The  dread  suspi- 
cion of  an  awful  woe  filled  the  multitude  with  fear.     The 


54  Christian  Persecutions. 

trumpets  sounded,  and  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  each  pillar 
was  streaming  with  fire.  Darkness  was  turned  to  a  iliving 
flame.  The  flowers,  the  myrtle  and  the  ivy  were  withered 
with  heat,  showing  the  awful  agony  of  dying  Christians. 

Nero's  gods  were  now  avenged,  but  his  victory  was  the 
downfall  of  pagan  Rome.  The  populace  were  smitten  with 
remorse,  pity  and  compassion.  The  attempt  to  please  the 
people  produced  a  reaction  of  conscience,  and  the  awful  sin 
committed  in  the  name  of  law  was  finding  its  torment  in  the 
remorseful  features  of  the  pagan  throng  as  they  beheld  the 
blackened  faces  and  the  charred  bodies  of  the  willing  vic- 
tims of  persecution.  The  veil  of  truth  was  rising,  and  the 
prophecy  of  the  Apostle  Peter,  that  he  would  redeem  Rome 
and  make  it  the  city  of  God,  was  yielding  to  the  triumphs 
of  faith  and  devotion. 

The  Christians'  faithfulness  and  devotion  to  divine  love 
was  winning  the  people  from  evil  to  good.  While  Nero  was 
an  enemy  of  Christ's  people,  yet  in  the  hands  of  God  his 
relentless  persecutions  were  the  means  of  pagan  overthrow 
and  the  firm  establishment  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  By  per- 
secution he  opened  the  eyes  of  the  blind,  and  they  saw  the 
Christians'  faith.  They  saw  that  it  was  stronger  than  death, 
and  that  it  would  live  beyond  Nero's  power. 

Open  rebellion  threatened  to  overthrow  his  power  of  per- 
secution. The  people  were -murmuring  against  him,  but  he 
kept  them  in  subjection  by  despotism.  It  was  now,  not 
a  persecution  of  Christians,  but  a  persecution  of  those  who 
opposed  him.  Secret  conspiracies  were  formed  among  the 
nobles  to  relieve  the  State  of  this  monster,  but  plot  after  plot 


The  Tyrant  Nero,  55 

was  discovered  and  again  and  again  "the  city  was  filled  with 
funerals."  Even  his  old  teacher  Seneca,  w'hom  he  had  loved 
in  the  days  of  his  youth,  fell  a  victim  to  the  tyrant's  rage. 

Nero,  becoming  alarmed  at  these  plots  of  the  nobility,  de- 
cided to  make  a  tour  of  the  East,  and  there  plunged  deeper 
and  deeper  into  every  shame,  sensuality,  and  crime.  He  had 
become  the  disgrace  of  the  nation,  and  his  wild  and  uncon- 
trolled passions  could  no  longer  be  endured.  The  Senate 
arose  as  one  man  and  condemned  him  to  a  disgraceful  death 
by  scourging,  but  to  avoid  which  he  instructed  a  slave  how 
to  give  him  a  fatal  thrust,  and  thus  perished  the  most  terrible 
and  blood-thirsty  tyrant  that  ever  lived.  His  last  words  were, 
"What  a  loss  my  death  will  be  to  art." 

The  announcement  of  the  death  of  Nero  was  the  an- 
nouncement of  the  victory  of  Christians  over  persecution.  The 
thousands  who  had  perished  were  now  glorified  by  the  mul- 
titude, who  eagerly  listened  to  the  teachings  of  the  followers 
of  Christ.  Hundreds  were  being  baptised,  and  the  faith  was 
being  fruited  a  thousandfold.  The  redemption  of  Rome  from 
Pagan  idolatry  seemed  to  be  almost  accomplished,  but  alas! 
the  calm  which  followed  was  broken  by  other  persecutions 
which  ravished  the  world  for  three  hundred  years.  Even  the 
Jews  were  persecuted,  murdered,  and  crucified.  At  Jerusalem, 
in  79,  Titus  destroyed  the  Temple,  robbed  the  city,  murdered 
a  million  of  its  people,  and  scattered  the  remnants  of  the 
Jewish  nation  to  all  parts  of  the  earth. 

Thus  have  wc  recorded  some  of  the  early  trials  and  perse- 
cutions  of  early  Christianity.  While  we  cannot  comprehend 
the  magnitude  of  these  awful  slaughters,  yet  we  must  believe 


56  Christian  Persecutions. 

that  no  will,  or  force  of  individual  character,  could  have  with- 
stood the  torments  and  death  Avhich  these  martyred  followers 
of  Christ  sustained  in  their  faith.  To  believe  that  God  did 
not  help  his  suffering  children  in  the  agonies  they  endured, 
is  to  believe  that  there  is  no  reward  for  those  who  ever  re- 
main faitliful.  There  can  be  no  other  explanation  than  that 
the  Spirit  of  Christ  comforted  the  heart,  consoled  them  in 
their  afBictions  and  sustained  them  in  their  deaths. 

History  also  informs  us  that  the  Apostles,  Peter  and  Paul, 
received  the  martyr's  crown  during  this  period  of  persecution, 
and  that  Peter,  who  was  regarded  as  the  greatest  leader  of 
the  Christians,  was  crucified  head  downwards. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

EARLY  CHRISTIAN   MARTYRS. 

AFTER  the  death  of  Nero  the  terrible  persecution  ceased 
for  a  short  period,  but  again  broke  forth  in  all  its  wildest 
terror,  and  for  nearly  three  hundred  years  the  Church  of 
Christ  was  almost  one  constant  record  of  the  martyrdom 
of  the  followers  of  the  Faith  of  God.  So  unrelenting  and 
determined  was  this  pagan  conflict,  that  had  Christianity  been 
the  work  of  man,  it  must  have  succumbed  to  the  blind  fury  of 
its  enemies,  but  as  it  was  the  teachings  of  Christ,  through 
his  saints  and  apostles,  and  upheld  and  sustained  by  the 
power  of  God,  it  but  more  firmly  rooted  itself  into  the  real 
religion  of  men,  and  spread  with  a  grander  vigor,  and  a  more 
perfect  faith  in  the  undying  love  for  the  light  and  blessings  of 
the  sanctified  cnicifixion. 

When  we  consider  that  the  emperors  of  Rome  were  the 
absolute  rulers  of  the  world,  that  they  were  armed  with  the 
deadly  power  of  extermination,  and  that  Christianity  was 
feeble  and  in  its  first  existence,  how  is  it  possible  to  account 
for  its  growth,  and  the  unflinching  readiness  of  its  followers 
to  submit  to  persecution  and  death,  except  that  the  divine 
power  of  God  gave  them  strength  and  encouragement? 

But  in  all  these  adversities  the  Church  has  been  miracu- 
lously preserved  in  this  unequal  contest.  The  persecution  of 
Nero  came  like  a  terrible  storm-cloud,  breaking  with  all 
the  force  of  malignant  fury,  and   driving  its  darts   of  hate 

(5)  '     57 


58  Christian  Persecutions. 

deep  into  the  body,  the  mind,  the  very  soul  of  Christian  faith. 
But  not  once,  only,  was  this  tempest  of  annihilation  ihurled 
against  the  Church  of  God,  but  at  two,  three,  and  even  ten 
important  periods  do  we  record  the  same  awful  details)  of 
murder  and  persecution  during  the  first  three  centuries  of  its 
existence,  and  yet,  througb  these  seeming  impossibilities, 
these  renewed  violences,  these  repeated  scenes  of  rack,  tor- 
ture, and  death,  the  cause  of  Christianity  grew,  its  adherents 
became  more  passionately  faithful,  more  determined  to  resist 
this  Pagan  infidelity,  and  more  enduring  also  became  their 
hope  of  future  reward. 

The  second  great  persecution  was  by  Domitian,  the  third 
by  Trajan,  the  fourth  by  Hadrian,  the  fifth  by  Marcus  Aure- 
lius,  the  sixth  by  Septimius  Severus,  the  seventh  by  Maxi- 
niinus,  the  eighth  by  Decius,  the  ninth  by  Valerian,  and  the 
tenth  by  Diocletian.  In  each  of  these  periods  the  Christians 
were  subjected  to  every  device  known  to  torture  and  death. 

While  all  emperors  did  not  persecute,  yet  these  ten  periods 
were  'terrible  to  contemplate.  The  heathen  populace  were 
superstitious  and  ignorant,  and  when  their  priests  declaired 
that  their  misfortunes  were  the  visitations  of  wrath  from 
their  mythical  gods  because  of  the  heresy  of  the  Christians, 
they  were  willing  tools  in  demanding  that  Christ's  people 
should  be  rejected  from  all  office,  from  all  favors,  and  from 
all  society;  that  they  were  without  religious  rights,  fit  only 
to  become  outcasts,  or  must  be  mercilessly  exterminated. 
When  once  an  edict  for  persecution  was  published,  it  always 
remained  the  law.  Some  emperors  did  not  enforce  these 
cruel  edicts,  but  they  always  remained  ready  to  fan  the  flame 
into  a  confiaerration  and  thus  start  another  awful  horror. 


Early  Christian  Martyrs.  59 

For  three  hundred  years  the  whole  Pagan  force  of  the 
great  Roman  empire  was  directed  against  the  suppression  of 
Christianity;  three  hundred  years  dyed  with  the  blood  of  a 
countless  multitude  of  martyrs;  three  hundred  years  of  mur- 
ders, persecutions,  and  unrelenting  desecration  against  the 
worship  of  God;  and  three  hundred  years  of  glorious  vic- 
tory— not  a  victory  of  Pagan  bloodshed  and  oppression,  but 
the  victory  of  the  Word  of  God  in  its  sustaining  influence  to 
hold  and  maintain  the  true  light,  and  to  spread  its  faith 
through  all  the  countries  of  earth.  These  persecutions  not 
only  failed  to  destroy  Christianity,  but  instead,  it  seemed  to 
increase  in  intensity,  to  become  more  expansive;  its  votaries 
praised  God  with  more  fervency,  and  feared  less  the  awful 
fate  decreed  by  the  tyrants  for  the  hated  Christian. 

Rome,  the  capital  of  the  heathen  world,  and  the  center 
of  all  the  abominations  of  idolatry,  was  more  than  any  other 
place  the  great  slaughterhouse  for  the  children  of  Christ. 
As  it  was  the  center  of  Christianity,  so  was  it  the  center  of 
persecution.  It  was  here  that  the  great  Pagan  stream  of 
persecution  spread  with  an  angry  deluge  over  the  whole  earth. 
It  was  here  that  the  deadly  strife  between  Paganism  and 
Christianity  was  waged  with  its  terrible  tide  of  extermina- 
tion. Rome  was  mistress  of  the  world,  and  her  idolatrous 
glory  had  cemented  the  entire  heathen  worships,  and  now  in 
her  pride  she  would  trample  beneath  her  feet  the  unyielding, 
the  uncomplaining,  and  the  ever-faithful  Christian. 

The  modesty  and  purity  of  the  Christian  life  only  s€rved 
to  arouse  a  depraved  populace.  They  were  wedded  to  the 
corrupting  influences  of  immoraHty;  their  lives  were  pregnant 


60  Christian  Persecutions. 

with  actions  of  a  corrupt  society,  of  idolatry,  and  of  dis- 
honor. With  these  attributes  of  corruption  and  sinful  degra- 
dation, they  hated  the  presence  of  purity,  of  simplicity,  and 
the  divine  truths  of  immortality. 

If  Christianity  was  the  true  religion  of  God,  then  this 
countless  cruel,  inhuman,  and  depraved  multitude  must  be 
lost  in  the  judgment  of  the  Great  Hereafter,  Such  things 
.could  not  be.  Rome  was  the  power  of  the  earth,  and  in  its 
might  must  be  the  power  of  infinity.  The  Roman  emperors 
had  decreed  against  the  faith  in  Christ,  and  from  this  decree 
there  could  be  no  appeal,  no  thought  of  mistaken  authority, 
and  no  deviation  from  its  declared  purpose. 

In  the  writings  of  ancient  historiographers,  who  were 
witnesses  of  these  terrible  persecutions  of  the  Christians,  we 
find  the  same  spirit  of  uncomplaining  endurance,  the  same 
faith,  the  same  meekness  and  forgiveness,  and  the  same 
undying  love  for  God  and  His  Holy  Word. 

In  quoting  from  these  testimonials  we  find  a  hne  of  evi- 
dence so  perfect  that  no  one  can  doubt  that  these  martyrs 
even  gloried  in  the  cross  they  were  destined  to  carry  in  the 
great  unfolding  of  God's  Christianity. 

"Who  would  not  admire  the  constancy  of  purpose,  the 
perseverance,  the  divine  love  of  those  who,  when  scourged 
till  their  veins  were  laid  open,  were  enabled  by  their  faith  and 
courage  to  utter  neither  sigh  nor  complaint,  whilst  the  very 
spectators,  full  of  compassion,  sorrowed  for  them?  The  fire 
they  endured  seemed  to  them  cool,  because  their  soul's  eyes 
were  opened  to  behold  both  the  eternal  fire  which  they  thus 
shunned,  and  the  glory  and  blessedness  in  store  for  those  who 
continued  to  the  end  in  the  faith." 


Early  Christian  Martyrs.  61 

Eusebius,  who  was  an  eye  witness,  says  that  he  saw  them 
"confess  the  Son  of  God  with  joyful  courage,  heard  them- 
selves sentenced  to  die  with  smiles,  and  some  to  their  very 
last  breath  sang  psalms  and  hymns  of  praise." 

Other  testimony  declares  that  "those  who  embrace  Chris- 
tianity know  what  is  in  store  for  them,  and  rejoice  more 
when  they  are  condemned  to  death  than  when  they  are  par- 
doned." 

"Thanks  be  to  God!  thanks  be  to  God!"  was  often  heard 
by  the  holy  confessors  on  hearing  their  sentence  of  death. 

So  great  was  their  desire  to  prove  toi  the  world  their 
love  for  Christ,  that  to  die  for  Him  and  the  Church  was  their 
highest  wish. 

"When  Pope  St.  Sixtus  was  led  out  to  martyrdom, 
Lawrence,  archdeacon  of  the  Roman  Church,  followed  him, 
weeping  and  saying:  'Father,  whither  goest  thou  without  thy 
son?  Holy  bishop,  whither  without  thy  deacon'?  Nothing 
could  console  this  loving  servant  of  Christ  but  the  assurance 
given  him  by  the  aged  pontiff  that  he,  too,  should  follow 
within  three  days,  and  after  yet  greater  suffering;  and  with 
what  heroic  courage  he  fought  his  battle,  we  all  know." 

"Whilst  Leonidas,  father  to  the  young  Origen,  lay  bound 
in  prison  for  Christ's  sake,  the  boy's  desire  for  a  martyr's  death 
became  so  uncontrollable,  that  his  mother  could  scarcely 
hinder  him  by  her  entreaties  from  delivering  himself  up  to 
the  heathen  judge.  She  was  even  forced  to  hide  his  clothes 
to  prevent  him  from  leaving  the  house." 

"With  what  ardor,  too,  did  St.  Ignatius,  the  aged  bishop  of 
Antioch,  long  for  the  privilege  of  martyrdom.    His  one  fear. 


62  Christian  Persecutions. 

when  condemned  by  the  Emperor  Trajan  to  be  cast  to  wild 
beasts  in  Rome,  was  lest  the  fervent  prayers  of  the  faithful 
should  obtain  his  release.  T  beseech  you,'  he  wrote  during 
his  journey  to  the  Christians  at  Rome,  'that  you  show  not  an 
unseasonable  good-will  towards  me.  Suffer  me  to  be  the 
food  of  beasts,  for  I  am  the  wheat  of  Christ,  and  being  ground 
by  their  teeth,  shall  be  found  God's  pure  bread.  Pray  to 
Christ  for  me,  that  by  these  instruments  I  may  become  a 
sacrifice  to  God.  I  long  earnestly  for  the  beasts  that  await 
me.  I  desire  to  find  them  fierce,  and  would  provoke  them 
to  devour  me  quickly,  so  that  that  should  not  befall  me  which 
has  befallen  others,  of  whom  the  beasts  were  afraid,  and  left 
them  untouched.  Forgive  me.  I  know  what  is  for  my  good; 
now  do  I  begin  to  be  Christ's  disciple.  Come  fire;  come  cross; 
come  beasts  without  number;  let  my  bones  be  crushed  and 
my  whole  body  rent;  let  all  the  torments  of  the  devil  be  let 
loose  upon  me,  so  that  only  1  become  a  partaker  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Better  it  is  for  me  that  I  should  die  for  Jesus,  than 
rule  over  the  whole  earth.'  On  reaching  Rome,  he  heard, 
as  a  messenger  from  Heaven,  the  command  given  that  he 
should  be  cast  immediately  to  the  beasts.  As  he  had  desired, 
the  lions  threw  themselves  with  such  fury  upon  him  that  but 
a  few  bones  of  his  body  were  left  remaining." 

Christians  of  every  rank,  age,  and  sex  were  animated 
with  the  same  heroic  purpose.  Those  whom  imperial  favor 
had  raised  to  the  highest  honors,  old  men  bowed  down  with 
years,  delicate  women  and  feeble  children,  all  went  forth  with 
unflinching  joy  to  deaths  the  most  painful  and  terrible. 

Sebastine  was  captain  of  the  imperial  body-guard,  and  a 
favorite  of  the  emperor.    Maurice  was  leader  of  the  Theban 


Early  Christian  Martyrs.  68 

leg-ion.  Others,  such  as  Peter,  Dorothaeus,  and  Gorgonius, 
were  chamberlains  of  the  emperors,  beloved  by  their  masters, 
residing  amid  all  the  luxuries  of  a  court,  and  loaded  with 
marks  of  imperial  favor.  But  one  and  all  proved  themselves 
true  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  amidst  every  torture  re- 
mained constant  until  death  to  their  divine  Lord. 

Simeon,  Bishop  of  Jerusalem,  and  a  kinsman  ol  our  Lord, 
was  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  of  age  when  he  suffered 
martyrdom  by  crucifixion.  By  the  same  death  the  aged  Theo- 
dulus,  who  had  seen  his  descendants  to  the  third  generation, 
attained  the  crown  of  glory. 

And  how  many  glorious  examples  arc  furnished  us  by 
the  weaker  sex!  Over  and  over  again  were  the  words  of 
Lactantius  proved  true:  "Not  powerful  men  only,  but  chil- 
dren and  women,  have  triumphed  in  silence  over  their  tor- 
tures; even  fire  itself  had  no  power  to  make  them  utter  a  cry." 

Blandina,  who  won  her  victory  at  Lyons,  was  a  virgin  so 
weak  and  tender  by  nature,  that  the  faithful  feared  not  a  little 
for  her  constancy.  But  from  morning  to  evening  she  endured 
every  kind  of  torment.  Her  executioners,  wearied  out,  were 
forced  to  acknowledge  themselves  vanquished,  and  marvelled 
that  tortures,  each  one  of  which  would  have  seemed  suf- 
ficient to  cause  death,  should  not  be  able  to  quell  her  courage. 
The  words,  "I  am  a  Christian"  ever  gave  fresh  strength  to 
the  blessed  martyr.  She  was  at  last  thrown  before  a  wild 
bull,  who  tossed  her  with  his  horns,  gored  her,  and  trampled 
her  to  death. 

Agnes,  a  child  of  thirteen,  crowned  'her  pure  and  innocent 
life  with  a  martyr's  death.     The  only  daughter  of  rich  and 


64  Christian  Persecutions. 

noble  parents,  she  had  early  consecrated  herself  to  be  the 
bride  of  her  Savior.  To  remain  true  to  this  heavenly  Bride- 
groom she  feared  not  the  revenge  of  her  disappointed  suitors. 
When  accused  of  being  a  Christian,  she  boldly  avowed  her 
faith,  and  denounced  fearlessly  the  folly  of  idolatry.  She  re- 
mained unmoved  at  the  sig-lit  of  the  burning  pile  and  the  hor- 
rible instmments  of  torture.  She  heard  her  sentence  to 
death  with  joy,  went  gladly  to  the  place  of  execution,  and 
received  her  deathblow  wdth  unflinching  courage. 

The  young  Soteris,  also  a  inember  of  a  noble  Roman  fam- 
ily, was  beheaded  at  the  same  time.  To  break  her  resolution 
the  judge  had  ordered  that  she  should  be  struck  on  the  face, 
and  she  immediately  unveiled  herself  to  receive  the  blows. 
She  endured  them  calmly  and  tearlessly,  and  remained  equally 
steadfast  under  all  the  tortures  which  followed. 

Who  can  read,  without  wonder,  of  the  high  courage  of 
Eulalia,  a  girl  twelve  years  old,  who  suffered  a  glorious 
martyrdom  at  Merida,  in  Spain?  Her  parents  had  sent  her 
ifito  the  country  that  she  might  be  safe  from  the  fury  of  the 
Emperor  Maximian;  but  she  could  not  withstand  the  ardent 
longing  which  possessed  her  to  suffer  and  die  for  Christ. 
She  returned  to  Merida  during  the  night,  went  boldly  before 
the  judge  and  proclaimed  herself  a  Christian.  Wishing  to 
spare  her  youth,  he  tried  in  vain  by  gentle  means  to  induce 
her  not  to  sacrifice  herself.  Eulalia,  to  show  her  contempt 
for  idols,  pushed  an  image  from  the  altar,  and  trampled  it 
under  foot.  The  executioners  fell  upon  her  in  anger,  tore 
her  sides  with  iron  claws,  and  burned  her  wounds  with 
torches.  Quietly,  without  a  sigh  or  tear,  &he  endured  her 
martyrdom,  till  she  bowed  her  head  and  died. 


Early  Christian  Martyrs.  65 

These  are  but  a  few  of  the  countless  numibers  who  suf- 
fered persecution  and  death  in  those  three  hundred  years  of 
awful  Christian  endurance.  Victims  innumerable  fell  before 
the  imperial  edicts  in  every  corner  of  the  huge  Roman  empire. 
Not  a  place  existed  in  the  East  or  West  where  Christians 
were  not  delivered  to  their  mortal  enemies.  -A  war  of  exter- 
mination was  waged  against  them,  and  the  same  hideous 
cruelties  were  practiced  in  all  parts  of  the  empire.  There 
was  no  security  against  the  rage  either  of  emperor  or  popu- 
lace. Christianity  was  a  plague-spot  upon  their  idolatrous 
worship  and  Christians  must  suffer  the  penalty  of  death. 

But  the  last  of  these  great  persecutions,  that  which  took 
place  under  Diocletian,  exceeded  all  the  others  in  violence  and 
duration.  It  seemed  as  though  hell  itself  had  come  to  earth 
for  one  final  assault.  The  whole  force  of  Pagan  machinery 
was  arrayed  against  even  the  name  of  Christianity.  The 
decree  of  Diocletian  was  to  destroy,  as  the  fire  burns  the 
grass,  every  form  of  Christian  life,  of  name,  and  of  worship. 
So  extensive  were  his  plans  and  so  determined  was  he  to 
crush  the  spreading  of  God's  Holy  Word,  that  he  believed 
his  triumph  was  already  secured,  and  to  celebrate  his  victory 
over  Christianity  he  constructed  triumphal  pillars,  and  arrogant 
inscriptions.  He  erected  marble  columns  to  celebrate  "the 
destruction  of  the  name  of  Christians,"  and  the  "universal 
extirpation  of  the  superstition  of  Ohrist,"  and  even  struck 
off  medals  bearing  the  inscription,  "After  the  extermination  of 
the  Christian  name." 

His  was  a  raging  tempest  of  fire,  sword,  and  crucifixion. 
From  sunrise  to  sundown  the  whole  earth  was  bathed  in  the 


66  Christian  Persecutions. 

blood  of  martyrs.  It  was  the  pent-up  rage  of  an  idolatrous 
power,  seeking  to  destroy  Ohristianity  and  to  blot  out  forever 
the  Word  of  God.  Others  had  failed  in  their  blasphemous 
efforts,  but  Diocletian  had  vowed  that  this  extermination 
should  destroy  every  root,  branch  and  seed  of  this  accursed 
creed.  The  gods  had  long  been  desecrated  by  these  heretics 
of  Christ,  and  now  they  should  be  avenged.  His  sword  of 
destruction  was  sent  into  every  land,  and  none  were  spared 
from  his  awful  executions. 

The  old,  young,  innocent,  and  strong,  fell  like  leaves  in  an 
autumn  blast,  but  the  swifter  the  destruction  the  faster  arose 
the  new  converts  to  Christ.  Not  only  did  they  fill  his  whole 
kingdom,  his  cities,  islands,  fortresses,  camps,  palaces,  cor- 
porations, senates,  and  courts  of  justice,  but  they  spread  the 
lig'ht  of  God  among  the  unknown  people  of  distant  and  bar- 
barous provinces.  They  established  their  Christian  influence 
among  the  Moors,  the  Germans,  Gauls,  Spaniards,  Scythians, 
Sarmatians,  Dacians,  Armedians,  Egyptians,  Medes,  and  the 
inaccessible  tribes  of  Britain.  In  every  place  in  which  man 
dwelt  the  faith  in  Christ  ever  grew  as  a  strong  tree  spreads 
its  branches  in  a  protecting  influence  against  the  hellish 
fury  of  a  Pagan  world. 

"The  signs  and  wonders  wrought  by  the  confessors  of 
Christ,  and,  above  all,  the  joyful  calmness  with  which  they 
encountered  torture  and  death  in  their  most  terrible  forms, 
brought  to  the  heathen  the  conviction  that  the  God  of  the 
Christians  could  alone  be  the  true  God.  Not  seldom  it  hap- 
pened that  whilst  the  most  fearful  martyrdoms  were  going 
on,  voices  were  heard  to  cry  from  among  the  heathen  spec- 


The  Conversion  of  Constantine.  67 

tators,  'We  are  Christians  also;  kill  us  with  them.'  Thus 
the  blood  of  tlie  martyrs  was  indeed  the  fruitful  seed  from 
which  Christians  were  brought  forth  in  ever-increasing  num- 
bers." 

To  estimate  the  millions  of  martvrs  who  fell  duriner  these 
three  hundred  years  of  Pagan  butchery  is  an  impossibility. 
In  Rome  alone,  these  ancient  historians  declare,  not  less  than 
2,500,000  suffered  death  in  all  the  varied  forms  of  persecu- 
tion. Whcje  cities  of  Christians  were  mowed  down  with  this 
pestilential  fire  of  idolatrous  oppression.  But  strong  as  was 
the  arm  of  despotism,  yet  stronger  still  was  the  blessed  light 
of  the  Spirit  of  God  as  he  directed  his  children,  and  raised 
up  from  the  Pagan  world  new  multitudes  to  proclaim  Qiris- 
tianity  as  the  one  true  religion  of  men.  Well  did  Tertullian 
exclaim  to  the  heathens:  "Afflict  us,  tomient  us,  crush  us — • 
in  proportion  as  we  are  mowed  down  we  increase;  the  blood 
of  the  martyrs  is  the  seed  of  new  Christians." 

THE  CONVERSION  OF  CONSTANTINE. 

Up  to  the  time  of  Constantine  the  Great  the  life  of  the 
Christian  had  been  one  of  deepest  persecution.  During  these 
three  hundred  years  the  strength  of  Christianity  had  proved 
its  divine  origin.  No  creed  of  man,  or  power  of  human 
strength,  could  have  withstood  the  constant  martyrdom  that 
was  continually  following  these  patient  followers  of  Christ. 
Although  Constantine  was  raised  a  Pagan,  yet  he  was  not 
hard  in  heart,  nor  oppressive  in  his  edicts.  From  his  father 
he  had  inherited  toleration  and  compassion.     His  nature  re- 


'xy 


68  Christian  Persecutions. 

volted  at  the  awful  deeds  of  the  bloody  tyrant  Diocletian,  who 
had  so  recently  ravished  the  Christian  world. 

The  government  of  Constantine  was  only  a  portion  of  the 
Western  division  of  the  Roman  empire,  and  comprised  Spain, 
Gaul,  and  Britain.  The  rest  of  this  great  empire  was  gov- 
erned by  the  cruel  and  licentious  rulers,  Maxentius,  Licinius, 
and  Maximin  Daia,  who  were  agreed  in  the  persecution  of 
Christians.  Constantine  being  considered  weak-minded  in 
bis  oppression,  and  too  tolerant  in  allowing  Christian  free- 
dom, was  declared  incompetent  to  rule  for  the  benefit  of 
Pagan  Rome,  and  Maxentius  decided  'he  would  overthrow 
his  power  and  establish  a  true  Roman  emperor. 

These  plans  being  communicated  to  Constantine,  he  'de- 
cided to  cross  the  Alps,  enter  Italy,  and  push  his  way  vic- 
toriously to  the  veiy  walls  of  Rome.  "The  world's  fate  was 
here  to  be  decided.  Constantine  feared  the  superior  strength 
of  the  enemy.  In  his  trouble  he  remembered  the  undis- 
turbed prosperity  enjoyed  by  liis  father,  who  had  always 
been  the  friend  of  the  Christians,  while  so  many  emperors 
hostile  to  them  had  died  miserable  deaths;  and  in  fervent 
prayer  he  turned  himself  to  the  Christian's  God.  The  result 
justified  his  confidence,  and  in  answer  to  his  prayer,  Jie  and 
all  ihis  host  beheld  in  the  sky  a  shining  cross,  with  the  words, 
*In  this  sign  shalt  thou  conquer.'  He  caused  a  standard  to 
/f  ^,be  made  after  the  pattern  of  this  cross  and  borne  before  him 
into  battle." 

Confident  of  divine  aid,  Constantine  aAvaited  the  enemy's 
attack.  The  superstitious  Maxentius  had  caused  the  Sibylline 
books  to  be  consulted,  and  the  answer  had  been,  "The  foe 


The  Conversion  of  Constantine.  69 

of  Rome  shall  perish  miserably."  Thus  blinded  he  crossed 
the  Tiber  and  risked  a  decisive  battle.  After  a  severe  struggle 
his  army  fled  in  wild  disorder.  Thousands  perished  in  the 
waters  of  the  Tiber,  among  them  Maxentius  himself,  who 
sprang  fully  armed  into  the  river  and  sank  in  the  mud. 

Constantine  entered  the  city  victoriously,  amid  the  re- 
joicings of  the  people.  Upon  the  triumphal  arch  which  the 
senate  and  people  erected  to  him,  and  which  is  still  standing 
among  the  ruins  of  ancient  Rome,  this  great  victory  is  as- 
cribed to  the  "decree  of  God."  Constantine,  moreover,  caused 
his  own  statue  to  be  set  up,  holding  in  his  hand  the  cross, 
with  the  inscription,  "Through  this  saving  sign  have  I  freed 
your  city  from  the  tyrant's  yoke,  and  have  restored  the  Roman 
people  to  their  ancient  splendor  and  high  estate." 

Constantine  now  established  the  free  worship  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  and  in  his  loyalty  to  his  new  faith,  he  built 
splendid  churches,  showed  great]  honor  and  respect  to  the 
priests,  and  in  all  things  pertaining  to  the  Church  he  con- 
sidered the  Pope  the  true  head  and  authority.  From  this 
time  on  Constantine  believed  he  was  chosen  of  God  to  be 
the  instrument  for  aiding  the  Church  in  extending  to  man 
the  knowledge  of  the  true  faith  and  worship  of  God. 

With  this  faith  he  immediately  began  to  make  laws  favor- 
able to  the  Christians.  He  assured  them  that  worship  should 
be  free  and  unrestrained,  and  he  ordered  a  restoration  of 
all  landed  estates  that  had  been  confiscated  during  their 
persecutions.  In  his  Christian  laws  he  severely  decreed 
against  immorality,  and  to  check  the  practice  of  child-murder 
so  common  among  Pagans,  the  Emperorl  provided   out  of 


70  Christian  Persecutions. 

the  state  treasury,  or  from  his  private  purse,  the  means  by 
which  needy  parents  could  support  their  children. 

He  soug^ht,  also.,  in  many  ways  to  ameliorate  the  wretched 
condition  of  the  slaves.  Thenceforward  any  Christian  could 
free  his  slave  in  church  in  the  presence  of  a  priest,  without 
the  ancient  formalities,  and  to  impart  tO'  Ihim  at  the  same 
time  all  the  rights  of  a  Roman  citizen.  Bounds  were  set  to 
the  hitherto  unlimited  powers  of  the  master.  Slaves  were 
to  be  reg'arded  as  men,  and  whoever,  therefore,  killed  a  slave 
was  to  be  dealt  with  as  a  murderer.  In  order  to  sanctify 
the  Lord's  Day,  public  business  and  servile  work  was  for- 
bidden on  it,  both  to  Christians  and  heathens. 

While  Constantine  was  extending  the  cause  of  Chris- 
tianity over  his  dominions,  his  brother-in-law,  Licinius,  had 
assumed,  in  the  East,  an  increasing  hostility  to  Constantine 
and  his  Christianity,  and  resolved,  in  the  year  323,  to  wage 
a  decisive  battle  to  determine  \vhich  religion  would  prevail — 
Paganism  or  Christianity.  Accordingly  he  published  a 
solemn  proclamation  declaring  that  this  battle  would  de- 
termine the  true  God  of  worship.  Constantine  assembled  his 
*roops  beneath  the  standard  of  the  cross,  and  with  the  words 
"God  the  Savior,"  for  his  battle  cry,  he  threw  himself  upon 
the  enemy  near  Adrlanople  and  defeated  him  with  great  loss. 
His  victory  over  Licinius  was  complete,  and  he  was  now  the 
sole  ruler  of  the  empire. 

The  East  received  his  Christian  influence,  and  what  he 
had  accomplished  in  the  West  'he  now  brought  forth  with  re- 
newed splendor  in  the  East.  Ruined  and  wasted  churches 
soon  rose  in  greater  beauty  and  splendor.     At  Rome,  Nico- 


The  Conversion  of  Constantine.  71 

media,  Antioch,  Tyre,  Jerusalem,  and  Bethlehem  he  built 
new  churches  and  endowed  them  with  rich  gifts  of  money 
and  landed  wealth.  But  his  greatest  care  was  in  his  new 
capital  of  Byzantium,  or,  as  it  was  now  called,  Constantinople, 
in  honor  of  his  name.  In  the  most  splendid  apartment  of  the 
imperial  palace  he  placed  a  golden  cross  adorned  with  pre- 
cious stones. 

He  converted  the  heathen  temples  into  Christian  churches, 
and  built  new  ones  of  astonishing  size  and  beauty.  In  every 
way  'he  sought  to  make  manifest  his  love  and  veneration  for 
the  Christian  religion.  He  provided  for  the  splendor  of  all 
pertaining  to  the  divine  offices,  and  caused  numerous  copies 
of  the  sacred  books  to  be  made. 

That  the  priests  might  be  able  to  devote  themselves 
without  interruption  to  the  duties  of  their  office  he  secured 
to  them  ample  revenues  and  freed  them  from  civil  burdens. 
Many  churches  received  rich  endowments,  and  every  citizen 
was  free,  if  he  chose,  to  bequeath  his  property  to  the  Church 
by  will.  He  surrounded  himself  with  learned  bishops  that 
he  might  receive  instruction  and  conduct  his  authority  in  a 
true  Christian  spirit.  He  regarded  the  Pope  as  the  head  of 
the  Church  and  continually  expressed  his  devotion  to  the 
Holy  Catholic  Church. 

By  these  examples  of  Constantine  thousands  of  heathens 
were  converted  to  Christianity.  The  false  gods  were  aban- 
doned and  their  temples  deserted.  It  was  not  a  reign  of  per- 
secution, but  a  reign  of  noble  deeds,  of  charity,  and  filial 
devotion  to  the  teachings  of  Christ.  By  these  demonstrations 
of  love  and  the  spreading  of  comforts  and  blessings,  he  con- 


/ 


72  Christian  Persecutions. 

quered  heathenism,  and  in  a  short  time  the  Christian  religion 
,        was  permanently  established  in  the  Roman  empire. 

■  y  JULIAN,  THE  APOSTATE. 

/  Roman  idolatry  was  not  destined  to  die  without  one  last 

f  >  desperate  struggle.    Hardly  twenty-five  years  had  passed  after 

<r  Jf  ythQ  death  of  Constantine,  when  we  find  the  djnng  embers  of 

-^-^  A'^Paganism    revived   by   the    official   authority   of   Julian,    the 

^  '^  Apostate.     This  emperor  was  a  nephew  of  Constantine,  and 

^    y^  v'was  reared  a  Christian,  but  in  his  youth  he  was  secretly  taught 

/"/  ^  in  classic  literature  the  pagan  worship.     He  secretly  read  the 

/K  writings  of  Celsus,  Lucian,  Pyttiagoras,  and  many  other 
pagan  writers.  His  love  for  paganism  increased,  and  while 
ha  carefully  disguised  his  true  sentiments,  and  even  assumed 
the  bearing  of  a  zealous  Christian,  yet  he  secretly  dreamed 
of  re-establishing  the  worship  of  the  mythical  gods. 

Julian,  on  assuming  the  office  of  emperor,  threw  off  his 
mask  of  Christian  falsehood  and  openly  espoused  the  pagan 
cause.  The  empire  was  alarmed  at  this  revelation  of  a  new 
pagan  force.  It  had  come  to  them  like  a  thunderbolt  from 
a  clear  sky.  Julian  had  been  Christian  in  all  the  demonstra- 
tions of  life,  and  now  to  denounce  its  teachings,  to  deny 
Christ,  to  deny  the  divinity  of  God,  caused  consternation 
among  the  populace.  He  was  about  to  strike  the  Christian 
world  with  the  cherished  dream  of  his  youth. 

It  was  no  longer  necessary  to  cover  his  wicked  purposes. 
He  would  exclude  the  Christians,  which  he  now  called  Gali- 
leeans,  from  office  of  public  trust.  He  would  compel  them 
to  rebuild  the  pagan  temples  that  had  been  destroyed,  and 


Julian,  the  Apostate.  73 

again  honor  pagan  priests.  The  idols  of  worship  were  re- 
stored and  Christians  compelled  to  salute  them  in  the  pagan 
form  of  worship,  and  to  bow  down  to  them.  He  also  sought 
to  sow  the  seeds  of  discord  among  the  followers  of  Christ,  by  -^ 

bringing  up  ancient  controversies  and  seeking  to  expose  the  ■•^<^- 
clergy  to  the  mistrust  of  the  people.  ^^  *( 

He  deprived  the  clergy  of  revenues  granted  by  previous <^ 
emperors.    He  composed  a  book  on  what  he  called  the  scien-  '-'^ 
tific  exposition  of  Christian  faith,  ridiculing  Christ  after  the 
manner  of  Lucian  and  Cclsus,  and  finally  he  commanded  the  tv..-'     _.t»*' 
Jews  to  rebuild  the  Temple  of  Jerusalem  in  order  to  nullify  "  "^ 
the  prophecy  of  Christ.     In  this  last  order  he  signally  failed.    ■' 
Twice  the  work  on  the  temple  was  suspended  by  divine  inter- 
position and  the  work  had  to  be  abandoned.    Julian  was  ex- 
ceedingly moved  by  an  unknown  fear  in  his  second  attempt 
to   rebuild   the   temple,    and   without   further   demonstration 
abandoned  the  project. 

rr 

If  we  follow   this   apostate   we   find   him  seeking  every      i*^1   j. 

means  to  elevate  the  cause  of  paganism.     He  described  the  y^     ■; 
Christian  religion  as  a  combination  of  human  inventions,  the  ^^         " 
authors  being  the  worst  elements  of  Judaism  and  Heathenism.  •^ 
He  denied  the   divinity    of  Christ  and  ridiculed  baptism  and 
penance.     He  assailed  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  the 
union  of  the  most  Holy  Trinity.    He  attacked  the  Old  Testa- 
ment as  invented  history,  without  divine  authority,  and  in  his 
desperation  to  advance  paganism  he  declared  that  the  whole 
glory  of  the  Roman  empire  was  the  result  of  the  worship  of 
the  gods,  and  whatever  misfortune  had  befallen  them  was 
the  result  of  neglect  by  the  introduction  of  Christianity. 

(6) 


74  Christian  Persecutions. 

He  appealed  to  the  pagans  to  become  more  zealous,  more 
earnest  in  their  supplications,  more  devout  in  their  lives,  and 
to  rally  to  the  rescue  of  Rome.  The  people  were  exhorted 
against  the  dangers  of  Christianity,  and  its  followers  were 
represented  as  ignorant,  incapable  ol  study,  intolerant,  her- 
etical, fanatical,  when  compared  with  pagan  philosophers, 
authors,  historians  and  the  extensive  knowledge  of  the  many. 
If  Christ  had  been  more  than  a  good,  just,  upright  man,  would 
not  our  learned  men  have  known  it?  If  'he  had  come  to 
instruct  men  would  he  not  have  commenced  at  the  highest? 
If  he  had  been  the  real  Christ,  would  his  own  people,  the 
Jews,  have  crucified  him?  Away  with  such  chafif.  The  people 
have  been  misled,  imposed  upon,  and  deceived  throug<h  the 
power  of  mind  over  mind,  jugglery  over  appearances,  and 
witchcraft  over  the  power  for  good. 

In  order  to  cement  his  statements  of  ignorance  and  vile 
deminciations  against  Christ,  he  extended  greater  privileges 
to  pagan  priests;  gave  them  greater  solemnity  in  the  cere- 
monial of  worship;  prepared  more  magnificent  raiment;  in- 
stituted song  service;  a  similarity  of  Christian  preaching;  or- 
ganized a  system  of  rules  of  order  for  the  conduct  of  priests 
in  the  homes  of  the  people;  adopted  a  discipline  of  penance 
and  excommunication.  He  also  conceived  the  idea  of  work- 
ing upon  the  feeling-s  of  the  peopl?  *by  building  benevolent 
institutions;  asylums  for  the  old  and  young;  institutions  of 
leajrning,  and  institutions  for  the  afflicted.  In  his  institutions 
of  learning  he  placed  pagan  philosophy  and  pagan  literature, 
and  by  every  means  sought  to  m'ake  proselytes  to  paganism. 
But  l"e  it  said  to  the  great  credit  of  Christianity,  that  while  it 


Julian,  the  Apostate.      '  75 

did  not  materially  injure  the  Church,  yet  it  did  not  materially 
advance  paganism. 

Julian,  seeing  his  ill-success  against  the  Christians,  was 
excited  with  great  wrath,  which  carried  him  to  the  stage 
of  madness.  He  planned  new  modes  of  persecution,  and  a 
most  disastrous  result  would  have  occurred  over  his  bitter- 
ness and  disappointment,  but  for  his  death,  which  took  place 
in  3G3,  less  than  two  years  after  ascending  the  throne.  Thus 
died  one  of  the  most  dangerous  men  to  the  cause  of  Chris- 
tianity. To  obtain  his  position  he  covered  his  shameless  head 
with  the  cloak  of  devout  Christianity,  and  practiced  the  faith, 
only  to  become  an  apostate  of  deadly  hate  and  most  cruel 
persecution.  When  dying  he  exclaimed:  "O  Galileean,  thou 
hast  conquered"!  This  persecution  is  recorded  as:  "It  was 
but  a  little  cloud  that  passed  away." 

After  the  death  of  Julian  paganism  rapidly  declined. 
Sophists  sought  to  stay  the  tide  of  degeneration,  but  to  no 
avail.  The  power  of  paganism  was  broken,  the  glory  of  God 
was  made  manifest,  and  the  Church  firmly  established,  as 
was  decreed  by  Christ  and  his  apostles. 


CHAPTER  YII. 

THE    CRUSADES. 

"\  X  T'HILE  a  short  description  of  these  important  periods  in 
'  '  the  world's  history  may  not  be  closely  identified  with 
the  object  of  this  publication,  yet  there  is  so  much  of  Christian 
ardor,  and  Christian  love  and  veneration  for  the  Holy  City, 
and  the  land  where  Jesus  dwelt,  that  to  record  the  events  of 
Christian  persecution  during  the  early  centuries,  and  not  pre- 
pare a  chapter  on  these  remarkable  Crusades,  would  drop  a 
link  in  the  wonderful  chain  of  evidence  that  the  Spirit  of  Christ 
has  ever  followed  and  sustained  his  people  in  their  afflictions. 
We  often  hear  public  speakers,  or  writers,  mentioTii  the 
Crusades,  but  few  of  us  realize  their  meaning.  We  do  not  com- 
prehend the  extent  to  which  great  military  expeditions  were 
undertaken  by  the  Christian  nations  of  Europe,  who  organized 
vast  armies  for  the  purpose  of  rescuing  from  the  hands  of  the 
Mohammedans  the  holy  places  of  Palestine.  To  some  these 
expeditions  may  appear  as  the  result  of  fanaticism  rather 
than  the  furthering  of  a  noble  and  glorious  purpose.  But 
discuss  it  as  we  may,  the  fact  remains  that  the  Christians 
were  in  earnest;  they  exhibited  the  same  desire  to  serve  God, 
to  protect  the  sacred  lands  of  our  Savior,  as  did  the  followers 
of  Christ  who  remained  true  to  His  teachings  under  the  perse- 
cutions of  Nero,  or  Diocletian.  If  it  was  fanaticism  to  protect 
the  grave  of  Jesus,  then  it  is  fanaticism  to  remember  Him  by 
the  countless  means  of  adoration.''' 

76 


The  Crusades.  77 

So  great  Avas  their  devotion  to  the  Savior  of  the  world, 
that  even  the  thought  that  the  land  of  His  birth  and  cruci- 
fixion was  in  the  hands  of  infidels  was  distressing  to  them. 
The  greater  their  love  for  Jesus,  the  greater  their  veneration 
for  the  Holy  City.  Bethlehem,  Judea,  Jerusalem,  and  Cal- 
vary, were  sacred  to  the  memory  of  Christ  and  must  be  pre- 
served from  the  hands  of  those  who  could  not  appreciate  the 
holy  memories,  or  who,  from  wanton  cruelty,  would  desecrate 
and  destroy  every  object  of  veneration. 

The  Crusades  are  usually  divided  into  four  dififerent  im- 
portant periods,  although  others  were  instituted,  but  not  with 
the  same  heroic  purpose  and  the  same  sacrifice  of  life.  These 
"Minor  Crusades,"  while  they  were  organized  with  the  same 
enthusiasm,  yet  the  results  were  unimportant,  and  unless  we 
itemize  history,  they  are  not  usually  enumerated. 

To  thorougfhly  understand  the  objects  of  those  military 
achievements  we  must  go  back  to  the  year  6.38,  when  the 
Arabian  Moslems  had  seized  Jerusalem  and  the  Holy  Land, 
and  although  it  was  in  the  hands  of  the  infidels,  yet  the 
Christians  were  given  all  their  rights  of  worship,  and  even  the 
sacred  places  of  veneration  were  protected  from  the  hand  of 
destruction,  not  because  of  their  love  for  Christ,  but  for  love 
of  revenue,  each  'pilgrim  Christian  being  taxed  in  some  man- 
ner for  the  privilege  of  visiting  and  worshiping  at  these  holy 
shrines.  No  pilgrim  was  allowed  to  enter  the  most  sacred 
places  without  he  paid  the  tribute  of  a  piece  of  gold. 

For  over  four  hundred  years  the  land  of  our  Savior  was 
held  as  a  ransom  for  the  Christian  world.  The  Moslems  were 
awake  to  the  necessity  of  carefully  protecting  every  renownec? 


78  Christian  Persecutions. 

spot  or  place,  every  scene  or  relic,  for  by  these  holy 
remembrances  they  gathered  the  tributes  which  were  imposed 
upon  Christians,  and  which  were  joyfully  paid,  so  eager  were 
they  to  see  and  be  where  Christ  had  been.  As  these  great 
interests  were  cared  for  by  apparently  loving  hands,  the  pil- 
grims were  satisfied,  not  caring  who  controlled  the  govern- 
ment, as  long  as  all  the  liberties  of  worship  were  accorded 
them.  But  when  the  land  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Turks, 
then  followed  a  line  of  persecution,  misery,  sacrilege,  and 
destruction. 

The  Turks  disregairded  the  revenue  clause  of  their  prede- 
cessors, and  in  brutal  insolence  trampled  upon  every  Chris- 
tian right.  To  them  there  were  no  Christian  rights.  Jerusa- 
lem was  the  property  of  the  Turks,  and  every  sacred  spot,  and 
even  the  Mount  of  Calvary,  and  the  grave  of  Jesus,  was  theirs. 
By  the  right  of  force  they  could  defile  these  sacred  places  and 
trample  upon  Christian  worship  with  all  the  coarse  indiffer- 
ence of  a  savage  nation.  They  never  knew  Christ,  and  in 
their  ignorance  could  not  reverence  his  name,  nor  could  they 
tolerate  any  reHgion  that  opposed  theirs. 

Christians  were  regarded  as  slaves,  and  the  pilgrims  were 
insulted,  persecuted,  robbed,  and  even  denied  admission  to 
the  Holy  City.  Thousands  being  thus  refused,  died  within 
sight  of  the  great  objects  of  their  pilgrimage.  Although  denied 
the  blessed  privilege  of  walking  where  once  our  Savior  trod, 
or  worshiping  at  the  shrine  for  which  the  heart  had  so  long 
yearned,  yet  they  sang  songs  of  praise  for  being  permitted  to 
see,  even  if  they  could  not  kneel,  at  the  tomb  of  Jesus.  With 
these  songs  as  the  last  utterance  of  a  sacrificed  life  they  lay 
down  and  died. 


The  Crusades.  79 

The  conditions,  now,  of  the  Christians,  were  most  pitiable 
indeed.  Not  only  were  they  denied  the  privilege  of  pilgrim- 
age, but  they  were  dragged  to  tortures  most  terrible,  and 
forced  to  deny  their  faith.  But  be  it  said  to  their  great  glory, 
few  yielded  to  the  cruelty  of  their  oppressors.  Here,  again,  we 
find  the  same  determined  faith  that  has  ever  characterized  the 
Christian  in  the  field  of  persecution.  So  devoted  were  they  to 
their  religion  that  "to  die  was  gain,"  and  now  to  surrender 
their  faith  for  exemption  from  bodily  pain  ^vas  impossible, 
and  as  such,  could  not  be  considered. 

The  churches  of  Jerusalem  were  either  destroyed,  or,  to 
grieve  the  spirits  of  the  devout  Christians,  they  were  turned 
into  stables.  Even  the  magnificent  church  of  the  Resurrection 
was  destroyed  and  all  the  objects  of  veneration  cast  into  the 
fire.  Once  when  the  Christians  were  at  divine  service,  a  mob 
of  unbelievers  rushed  into  the  sanctuary,  sprang  upon  the 
altar,  flung  down  the  chalice,  and  catching  the  patri- 
arch by  the  hair  and  beard  dragged  him  to  the  ground  and 
in  other  ways  persecuted  him  and  his  followers. 

It  was  this  condition  which  existed  when  Peter  the  Hermit 
made  his  pilgrimage  in  1093  to  the  Holy  Sepulcher.  The 
sacrilege  of  the  infidels,  the  desolation  of  the  holy  places,  the 
piteous  distress  of  the  Christians,  filled  his  heart  with  com- 
passion and  his  eyes  with  tears.  His  sorrow  over  these 
scenes  of  idolatrous  desecration  awoke  in  him  a  deep  desire 
to  rescue  these  places  of  Christian  veneration  from  the  hands 
of  the  Turks.  Christ's  people  were  being  ground  beneath  the 
yoke  of  oppression,  and  they  must  be  free.  Accordingly  he 
determined  to  devote  himself  to  the  great  task  of  redemption, 


80  Christian  Persecutions. 

and  after  fervently  praying  for  the  preservation  of  his  people 
and  the  tomb  of  his  Redeemer,  he  hastened  homewards, 
where,  on  his  arrival,  he  communicated  to  Pope  Urban  II  the 
wretched  and  deplorable  situation  of  the  Christians,  and  ex- 
plained to  him  the  condition  of  the  holy  relics.  He  earnestly 
pleaded  for  assistance  in  the  great  undertaking  which  he  had 
planned. 

The  Pope  received  Peter  with  favor,  and  heard  with  deep 
sympathy  the  persecutions  ol  his  followers  in  Jerusalem,  and 
with  deepest  love  for  Christian  humanity  he  authorized  Peter 
to  make  known  everywhere  the  oppression  that  existed,  and 
the  necessity  of  a  strong  invasion  by  Western  Christians  to 
drive  the  enemies  of  Christ  from  these  sacred  lands  and  to 
restore  the  worship  of  God  where,  of  all  places,  it  should 
remain  pure  and  undefiled.  The  Pope  alsO'  declared  that  he 
would  call  together  the  influential  and  pious  princes,  bishops, 
and  laymen  of  the  West  and  urge  them  to  organize  a  mighty 
army  to  give  battle  to  this  powerful  foe  that  was  now  destroy- 
ing Christianity  and  threatening  with  destruction  the  entire 
sacred  institutions  of  the  Holy  Land. 

Peter,  filled  with  patriotic  and  pious  longings,  zealously 
described  to  the  people  of  France  and  Italy  the  impending 
fate  of  Jerusalem.  He  was  stopped  neither  by  fatigue  nor 
difficulties,  but  huiried  from  city  to  city,  from  hamlet  to  ham- 
let, addressing  the  multitudes  in  the  churches,  the  streets,  or 
in  the  open  fields,  describing  the  conditions  of  their  brethren, 
and  the  unholy  hordes  that  were  now  devastating  the  land  of 
Jesus.  The  crowds  were  fired  with  sympathy,  or  indignation, 
as  he  recited  the  sufferings  at  the  hands  of  the  infidels,  or 


The  Crusades.  81 

pictured  the  profanation  of  the  holy  places  by  the  presence 
and  insults  of  those  Turkish  barbarians.  Not  since  the  days 
of  Christ  and  his  Apostles  were  the  people  so  enthused  as 
they  were  now  over  the  words  of  Peter.  With  one  accord  they 
arose  to  offer  their  fortunes  and  their  lives.  It  was  one  grand 
demonstration  of  filial  devotion  to  the  cause  of  Christianity. 

In  November,  1095,  Pope  Urban  summoned  a  great  coun- 
cil at  Clearmont,  in  France,  where  there  gathered  together 
fourteen  archbishops,  three  hundred  bishops,  four  hundred 
abbots,  and  thousands  of  knights,  princes,  and  laymen. 
Amidst  profound  silence  Peter  pictured,  in  glowing  words, 
to  the  listening  crowd  the  misery  and  suflferings  of  the  Eastern 
Christians,  and  the  profanation  of  the  grave  of  Jesus.  He 
declared  that  no  man  could  describe  the  awful  persecution 
which  was  at  that  moment  being  waged  against  their  Chris- 
tian brethren.  No  eye  remained  dry;  all  present  wept  and 
sighed.  The  fervent  appeal  of  Peter  had  stirred  the  soul's 
longing,  to  not  only  liberate  their  brethren  but  to  rescue  the  jA"^" 
Holy  Land  from  the  hand  of  the  desecrator.  (y^'*^" 

The  Holy  Father,  being  deeply  moved,  then  addressed  Ills  ,  r,  "^  ' 
hearers:  "Beloved  brethren,  the  Land  of  Promise,  the  cradle 
of  the  Savior,  the  land  in  which  was  consummated  the  work  of 
our  salvation,  is  in  the  power  of  an  impious  people,  dogs  have 
entered  the  sanctuary,  and  the  Holy  of  Holies  is  defiled.  The 
faithful  lie  slain  in  the  churches,  and  neither  age  nor  sex  is 
spared.  The  blood  of  the  saints  is  poured  out  like  water,  and 
there  are  none  there  to  bury  their  bodies.  Who  can  hear  this 
with  dry  eyes?  Better  for  us  that  we  had  never  been  born 
than  that  we  should  see  the  ruin  of  our  people  and  of  the 


82  Christian  Persecutions. 

Holy  City,  and  yet  sit  still  and  let  the  enemy  work  his  pleas- 
ure. Arm  yourselves  with  the  zeal  of  God,  beloved  brothers; 
gird  on  your  swords,  and  show  yourselves  sons  of  the  Mighty 
One.  Better  it  is  to  die  in  battle  thaiu  to  see  the  sufferings 
of  our  people  and  of  the  saints.  Go  forth,  and  God  will  be 
with  you.  Turn  those  weapons  with  which  you  now  so  wick- 
edly make  war  on  one  another  and  spill  the  blood  of  your 
brethren,  against  the  enemy  of  the  Christian'  faith  and  name. 
God  wills  it!  Trusting  in  His  mercy,  and  in  the  power  of  the 
holy  Apostles  Peter  and  Paul,  we  remit  to  all  the  faithful  who 
shall  assume  arms  in  a  spirit  of  true  piety,  and  who  take  on 
them  the  labors  of  this  pilgrimage,  all  the  penances  laid  upon 
them  for  their  sins;  and  whoever  shall  die  on  this  journey  will, 
if  truly  penitent,  receive  without  doubt  remission  of  all  their 
sins,  and  enter  into  Hfe  everlasting.  None  shall  venture  to 
molest  the  goods  or  the  families  of  the  absent  pilgrims ;  we 
place  them  and  theirs  under  the  protection  of  the  Holy 
Church." 

So  great  was  the  earnest  enthusiasm  for  the  relief  of  dis- 
tressed Christians  and  the  restoration  of  the  land  of  Jesus 
from  the  hands  of  infidels  that  the  entire  multitude  cried: 
"God  wills  it!  God  wills  it!''  "Be  these  words,"  the  Pope 
replied,  "your  battle-cry  in  every  danger;  be  the  Cross  your 
sign  of  strength  and  of  humility,  and  the  gracious  Mother  of 
God  your  patroness." 

With  wild  scenes  of  joy  at  the  prospect  of  an  universal 
uprising  against  the  Turkish  enemy  the  council  dispersed, 
each  eager  to  spread  the  news  and  urge  their  friends  to  join 
the  great  army  of  Crusaders.    The  inspiration  that  had  seized 


The  Crusades.  83 

the  members  of  this  council  spread  with  Hghtning  rapidity, 
and  soon  the  whole  country  was  aflame  to  that  cry  of  freedom. 
Their  brethren  in  Jerusalem  were  being  cruelly  persecuted 
and  the  sacred  land  of  our  Lord  was  made  desolate  by  the 
hands  of  a  barbarous  horde.  Down  with  the  tyrants!  Down 
with  usurpers  of  Christian  rights !  was  rung  from  one  end  of  the 
country  to  the  other.  France  and  Italy  had  never  before 
beheld  such  loyalty  to  the  cause  of  Christian  humanity.  Towns 
and  villages  became  the  camping  grounds  of  a  mighty  army. 
Everywhere  men  were  arming  themselves,  fired  with  the  zeal 
of  vengeance.  Counts  left  their  castles,  princes  their  pos- 
sessions, the  peasant  his  plow,  and  the  monk  his  cell.  Even 
women  and  children  became  imbued  with  the  inspiration  of 
action  and  clamored  for  the  right  to  assist  in  this  great  un- 
dertaking. 

Murderers  and  robbers  came  forth  from  their  hiding- 
places,  and  in  atonement  for  their  sins,  offered  to  join  the  holy 
war.  The  same  universal  spirit  seemed  to  pervade  the  entire 
people.  Strife,  feud,  and  oppression  everywhere  ceased,  national 
difficulties  were  wiped  away,  and  all  longed  for  the  hour  when 
they  should  start.  So  great  was  the  desire  of  the  people  to 
avenge  the  wrongs  at  Jerusalem  that  many  beseeched  Peter  to 
lead  them  at  once  against  the  enemy,  and  before  the  regular 
organized  Crusade  began  its  march  80,000  enthusiastic  and 
impatient  Christians  started  by  an  overland  route  through 
Germany  and  Hungary  to  Constantinople.  Thousands  fell  in 
battle  with  the  natives  of  the  countries  through  which  they 
passed,  and  thousands  more  perished  miserably  (vith  hunger' 
and  exposure.     Those  who  crossed  the  Bosporus  were  at- 


84  Christian  Persecutions. 

tocked  by  the  Turks,  Avho  were  informed  of  their  coming,  and 
Were  mercilessly  slaughtered. 

Thus  perished  the  vanguard  of  this  wonderful  demon- 
stration for  the  liberation  of  the  Holy  Land.  Few  of  this  first 
great  army  of  Christians  lived  to  relate  the  suffering,  the 
pious  longing  to  serve  the  followers  of  Christ,  or  to  see,  or 
feel,  the  first  elements  of  success.  Theirs  was  the  beginning, 
and  in  this  consolation  they  laid  down  their  lives,  knowing 
that  their  misfortunes  would  pave  the  way  for  the  success  of 
those  who  were  to  follow. 

Meanwhile  the  great  armies  of  the  West  were  being  trained 
and  disciplhied,  and  none  but  those  who  were  earnest  cham- 
pions of  the  holy  cause  were  accepted.  No  curser,  blas- 
phemer, nor  even  a  mischief-making  person  was  taken.  God- 
frey of  Bouillon,  Duke  of  Lorraine,  and  Tancred,  "the  mirror 
of  knighthood,"  were  among  the  most  noted  leaders  of  the 
different  divisions  of  the  army.  The  camp  of  Godfrey  was  a 
model  of  perfection.  Strict  religious  exercises  were  observed, 
and  no  man  was  requested  to  remain  who  did  not  feel  that 
he  was  called  by  Heaven  to  answer  the  prayers  of  Jerusalem. 
Morning  and  evening  all  joined  in  prayer  to  God,  and  psalms 
and  hymns  in  praise  to  Christ,  His  Blessed  Mbther,  the 
Saints,  and  all  the  heavenly  throng.  Besides  these  devotional 
duties  they  would  unite  in  the  wild  spirit  of  chivalry,  and  the 
camps  would  resound  from  one  end  to  the  other  with  patriotic 
and  warlike  songs.  No  army  was  ever  established  with  such 
true  devotion,  such  heartfelt  sympathy,  and  such  fervent  zeal. 
Each  sought  to  outvie  the  other  in  marks  of  obedience,  and 
discipline,  and  the  whole  was  a  grand  consummation  of  pious 
love  and  reverence. 


The  Crusades.  85 

The  expedition  numbered  about  700,000  men,  of  whom 
fully  100,000  were  mailed  knights.  They  traversed  Europe 
by  different  routes  and  re-a'ssembled  at  Constantinople.  After 
crossing  the  Bosporus,  the  first  brilliant  achievement  of  the 
Christians  was  a  great  victory  before  the  walls  of  Nicaea,  the 
Turkish  capital,  in  Bithynia.  The  Mahometan  hosts  fouglit 
with  desperation.  Tlie  assaults  of  the  Christians  were  as  a 
mighty  hurricane  as  they  threw  themselves  against  the  walls 
and  defenses.  On  to  Jerusalem!  was  the  battle-cry,  and  again 
and  again  did  they  attack  "the  fortifications  until  the  walls 
yielded  and  the  enemy  were  driven  from  the  city. 

Having  captured  this  stronghold  of  Mahomet  they  set  out 
across  Asia  Minor  for  Syria.  Fearful  sufferings  followed 
their  pathway  through  that  immense  uninhabitable  waste.  The 
line  of  their  dreary  march  between  Nicaea  and  Antioch  was 
whitened  with  the  bones  of  nearly  one-half  of  their  numbers. 
But  so  great  was  their  faith  in  God  that  no  complaints  escaped 
their  lips  and  no  disloyalty  was  made  manifest.  From  the 
beginning  they  had  consecrated  their  lives,  and  in  this  conse- 
cration they  would  live  or  die. 

At  Antioch  the  Crusaders  saw  a  fortress  so  strong  that 
but  for  their  confidence  in  God  they  could  never  have  suc- 
ceeded in  its  capture.  But  to  them  there  was  no  defeat.  "God 
wills  it!  God  wills  it!"  ever  sounded  in  their  ears,  and  in  the 
inspiration  of  an  assured  victory  they  rushed  to  the  assault. 
When  we  understand  that  the  city  was  encircled  with  an  im- 
mense wall  more  than  fourteen  feet  in  thickness  and  was  com- 
manded with  four  hundred  and  fifty  high  towers,  and  defended 
with  a  powerful  army,  we  can  imagine  something  of  the  super- 


86  Christian  Persecutions. 

human  strength,  courage  and  valor  it  required  to  capture  it. 
Yet  to  this  Christian  army  there  could  be  no  defeat.  With 
the  thought  of  soon  seeing  the,  olessed  land  of  Jesus  they 
mounted  those  powerful  walls,  threw  d'owii  their  enemies,  and 
in  triumph  entered  the  city. 

We  now  come  to  the  approach  of  the  long-desired  city  of 
Jerusalem.  It  was  June,  1099,  when  the  Crusaders  neared  the 
goal  of  their  ambitions.  All  night  long  they  pushed  forward 
without  rest,  so  eager  were  they  to  see  the  Holy  City  by  the 
light  of  the  risiwg  sun.  The  weary  were  assisted  by  those  who 
were  strong,  and  all  vied  with  each  other  in  the  manifestations 
of  courage  and  endurance.  When  at  last  the  City  of  Jerusalem 
burst  upon  their  view,  a  perfect  delirium  of  joy  seized  them. 
The  horsemen  dismounted,  and  fell  upon  their  knees  and 
kissed  the  earth,  shedding  tears  of  joy.  They  embraced  one 
another,  and  cried  like  children.  The  pent-up  enthusiasm  now 
found  vent  in  these  unbounded  manifestations  of  gladness. 
Had  heaven  descended  with  all  its  glorious  brightness,  the 
vision  could  not  have  been  more  inspiring  than  this  vision  of 
the  Holy  City.  They  had  conquered  the  wilderness,  the 
armies  of  oppression,  and  now,  in  the  faith  of  God,  they  would 
soon  expel  the  defiling  hordes  of  infidelity. 

As  they  passed  on  they  took  off  their  shoes,  and  marched 
with  uncovered  heads  and  bare  feet,  singing  the  words  of  the 
prophet:  "Jerusalem,  lift  up  thine  eyes,  and  behold  the  libera- 
tor, who  comes  to  break  thy  chains."  The  magnificent  army  of 
700,000  men  was  now  reduced  to  a  mere  pittance  of  its  orig- 
inal numbers.  They  could  scarcely  number  20,000  foot  and 
X,500  horse,  and  before  them  was  the  strongly  fortified  city  of 


The  Crusades.  87 

Jerusalem  with  an  army  of  40,000  well-armed  men.  The  Cru- 
saders were  almost  worn  out  with  fatigue  and  exposure,  and 
yet,  with  this  unequal  contest  before  them,,  they  would  not 
even  hesitate,  nor  seek  to  regain  their  strength,  but  with  the 
impetuous  longing  to  rescue  their  brethren  and  to  know  and 
feel  that  the  land  of  their  Savior  was  once  more  free,  they 
rushed  into  the  mad  conflict.  They  believed  that  God  had 
guided  them  through  these  long  difficulties,  and  that  now,  as 
they  approached  the  City  of  God,  He  would  not  desert  them. 
With  this  faith  and  confidence,  the  champions  of  the  Cross 
could  not  be  discouraged,  nor  could  they  be  defeated. 

On  the  sixth  day  after  their  arrival  they  attacked  the  outer 
defenses  with  such  courage  and  valor  that  the  enemy  became 
alarmed  and  retired  within  the  inner  walls,  which  had  the 
appearance  of  being  impregnable.  Where,  in  all  that  treeless 
waste,  could  they  fincl  material  from  which  they  could  con- 
struct battering-rams?  Without  these  necessary  implements 
of  warfare,  how  could  they  ever  break  into  the  city  of  Jerusa- 
lem? They  had  captured  the  outer  defenses,  but  the  strength 
of  a  wondrous  construction  faced  them,  and  meant  apparent 
defeat.  Parties  were  dispatched  to  scour  the  country  and 
find,  if  possible,  some  substance  which  could  be  used  with 
sufficient  force  to  break  the  gates  that  separated  them  from 
the  city. 

Was  it  God's  providence  that  led  them  to  a  valley  near 
Bethlehem,  where  huge  trunks  of  trees  lay  buried  beneath  the 
earth?  Great  was  the  rejoicing  when  the  glad  tidings  were 
brought  of  this  rich  discovery.  All  vied  with  each  other  in 
the  work  of  excavation  and  in  the  construction  of  huge  bat- 
tering-rams and  other  engines  of  attack.  , 


88  Christian  Persecutions. 

The  Christian  camp,  in  the  meanwhile,  was  suffering  much 
from  the  great  scarcity  of  water.  The  sun's  heat,  was  almost 
unbearable,  and  the  infidels  had  destroyed  all  the  springs  and 
other  means  of  obtaining  water.  The  animals  were  dying  of 
thirst,  and  noxious  vapors  poisoned  the  air.  The  only  water 
supply  was  six  miles  distant,  and  each  time  these  vaHant  fol- 
lowers of  Christ  sought  to  renew  their  supply  they  must  fight 
their  way  through  the  enemy's  outlying  bands.  To  these 
sufferings  we  must  add  that  of  starvation,  for  nowhere  could 
there  be  new  supplies  outside  the  gates  of  Jerusalem. 

During  this  distressing  period  the  joyful  news  reached 
them  that  a  Genoese  fleet  had  just  landed  at  Joppa,  bringing 
provisions,  tools,  and  skilled  workmen.  Again  did  these 
valiant  Crusaders  see  the  hand  of  Providence.  Without  this 
needed  assistance  {hey  must  have  perished  outside  the  gates 
of  Jerusalem.  Now  they  could  be  relieved  of  their  pressing 
necessities,  and  with  the  skill  of  their  new  friends  they  could 
proceed  to  a  systematic  mode  of  attack. 


CHArXER  YIII. 

THE   CRUSADES— Continued. 

/^~\  N  the  morning  of  July  8  the  whole  host  left  the  camp, 
^-^  and,  preceded  by  priests  in  white  vestments,  bearing 
crosses,  banner,  and  relics,  they  marched  barefooted  to  the 
Holy  City,  invoking  with  prayers  and  psalms  the  help  of 
God  and  the  saints.  Mass  was  said  within  sight  of  Calvary, 
and  on  the  Mount  of  Olives  the  Flemish  priest,  Arnulf,  and 
Peter  of  Amiens,  so  powerfully  addressed  the  army  that  all, 
leaders  and  followers  alike,  grasped  each  others'  hands,  and 
swore  to  stand  by  one  another  truly  till  death. 

After  a  few  feints,  the  real  siege  began  on  the  14th  of 
July.  In  all  the  camp  there  was  not  one  who  was  not  inspired 
with  martial  ardor;  the  sick,  old  men  and  boys,  even  the  very 
women,  took  up  arms.  With  bold  hearts  they  drew  their 
besieging  engines  to  the  walls.  Showers  of  arrows  were 
poured  on  them  by  the  enemy,  and  huge  stones,  beams, 
torches,  and  burning  pitch  flung  down  upon  them.  But  the 
Crusaders  stood  firm,  till  night  put  an  end  to  the  struggle. 
Day  had  scarcely  begun  to  dawn  when  each  was  again  at  his 
post.  The  battle  raged  as  fiercely  as  before,  and  Avith  un- 
flagging energy.  But  the  storm  lasted  many  hours,  and  the 
victory  was  not  yet  gained.-  The  strength  of  the  Christians 
flagged,  when  suddenly,  just  at  the  hour  our  Lord  died  upon 
the  cross,  a  knight  with  a  shining  shield  appeared  upon  the 
side  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  and  signed  to  them  to  continue 

(7)  89 


90  Christian  Persecutions. 

the  strugg-le.  'Do  you  see  the  heavenly  sigri^?  Godfrey 
exclaimed  with  joy.  The  Christians  again  took  courage, 
shouting  loudly,  'God  helps  us!  God  wills  it!'  They  pushed 
forward  with  renewed  vigor,  broke  through  the  outer  wall, 
and  flung  the  drawbridges  from  Godfrey's  tower  across  to 
the  inner  wall.  Led  by  Godfrey,  they  rushed  bold  as  lions  on 
the  unbelievers,  drove  them  from  the  walls  and  towers,  and 
opened  the  gates.  In  poured  the  whole  Christian  host,  and  a 
desperate  battle  ensued  within  the  city." 

A  terrible  slaughter  of  the  infidels  now  took  place.  For 
seven  days  the  carnage  went  on.  Blood  flowed  in  streams, 
and  the  unbelievers  lay  slain  by  thousands  in  the  houses, 
streets,  and  public  places.  So  great  was  this  vengeance  that 
scarcely  any  of  the  Moslem  faith  were  left  alive.  The  Chris- 
tians "had  accomplished  the  great  work  of  their  mission. 
Jerusalem  had  surrendered,  and  the  Holy  Land  was  once 
more  in  the  hands  of  those  who  loved  God. 

After  the  city  had  been  duly  secured  and  sentinels  placed 
in  all  the  towers,  the  blood-stained  victors  laid  aside  their 
arms,  changed  their  garments,  and  then  barefooted,  many  of 
them  on  their  knees,  went  humbly  and  with  tears  of  thanks- 
giving, to  visit  those  sacred  spots  which  our  Lord  had  hal- 
lowed by  His  presence.  "It  was  a  most  fair  sight,''  ^vrites 
William,  Archbishop  of  Tyre,  "to  see  with  what  fervent  devo- 
tion the  people  trod  the  holy  places,  and  with  what  spiritual 
joy  and  exultation  they  kissed  the  spots  where  our  Lord  had 
suffered.  All  wept  and  sighed,  not  from  sorrow  and  anguish, 
but  from  the  ardor  of  piety  and  the  abundance  of  interior  joy. 
Some  confessed  their  sins  to  God,  vowing  never  to  return  to 


The  Crusades.  91 

them;  others  gave  all  they  had  to  the  poor,  because  they 
counted  that  God  had  g-iven  them  the  highest  riches  in  allow- 
ing them  to  see  that  day.'' 

Great  was  the  rejoicing  of  the  delivered  Christians.  Their 
gratitude  knew  no  bounds.  They  had  endured  the  persecution 
of  the  infidels,  and  now  they  were  free.  They  kissed  their 
deliverers  and  offered  them  all  their  possessions.  In  their 
frenzied  joy  fliey  prayed  to  God  with  all  the  fervency  of  a 
devout  spirit.  Feasts  were  instituted  in  perpetual  memory  of 
the  wonderful  deliverances  which  had  been  secured.  The 
bishops  and  priests  offered  the  holy  sacrifice  in  the  churches, 
prayed  for  the  people,  and  returned  thanks  for  the  miracles 
which  had  been  shown  unto  them. 

In  the  establishment  of  government  all  with  one  voice 
voted  in  favor  of  Godfrey,  the  most  valiant  and  devoted  of  the 
Crusader  knights.  The  prince  refused  the  title  and  vestments 
of  royalty,  declaring  that  he  would  never  wear  a  crown  of 
gold  in  the  city  where  his  Lord  and  Master,  the  king  of  kings, 
had  worn  a  crown  of  thorns,  and  the  only  title  he  would  accept 
was  that  of  "Guardian  of  the  Holy  Sepulcher." 

Hardly  had  Godfrey  converted  chaos  into  order,  when  he 
ascertained  that  the  Sultan  of  Egypt  was  fast  approaching 
with  an  army  of  300,000  men  to  save  the  sinking  power  of 
Islam  from  destruction.  Against  this  mighty  host  Godfrey 
had  scarcely  20,000  to  oppose  them.  This  unequal  contest 
must  decide  the  fate  of  Jerusalem.  Godfrey  called  his  fol- 
lowers together  and  eloquently  pictured  their  desperate  con- 
dition, and  the  sad  fate  of  defeat.  They  had  overcome  every 
obstacle  in  their  march  of  progress;  they  had  delivered  their 


92  Christian  Persecutions. 

brethren  from  the  hands  of  infidels,  and  had  rescued  the  tomb 
of  their  Savior  from  the  hand  of  destruction.  God  had  given 
them  strength  to  subdue  their  enemies,  and  now,  in  the  final 
struggle,  the  same  God  would  watch  over  them  and  give 
victory  to  their  arms.  His  eloquence  moved  his  followers  to 
the  same  eagerness  to  fight  that  always  animated  them.  Thrice 
welcomed  was  this  new  opportunity  to  prove  their  loyalty 
and  devotion.  They  had  seen  the  fall  of  the  Moslem  power 
in  Jerusalem,  and  they  had  worshiped  at  the  grave  of  Jesus, 
and  now  in  the  fullness  of  a  glorious  thanksgiving  they 
eagerly  besought  Godfrey  to  lead  them  to  battle. 

Trusting  in  God's  protection  Godfrey  faced  his  army 
towards  the  advancing  foe,  and  with  the  Cross  borne  before 
them  as  an  emblem  of  faith  in  Divine  assistance  they  went  to 
meet  the  enemy.  Near  Ascalon  they  encountered  the  camp 
of  this  great  Egyptian  army.  Immediately  all  fell  upon  their 
knees  and  earnestly  besought  help  from  above.  The  mag- 
nificent army  of  the  Sultan  was  before  them.  They  had  come 
to  avenge  the  death  of  the  followers  of  Islam,  to  annihilate 
Christianity,  and  to  capture  Jerusalem.  Others  than  these 
Crusaders,  who  were  filled  with  the  conscious  power  of  God, 
would  have  feared  in  this  unequal  battle,  but  to  Godfrey  and 
his  heroic  band  there  could  be  only  victory,  even  if  the  whole 
Islam  force  of  idolatrous  worshipers  were  before  them.  These 
Christians  knew  no  fear,  and,  inspired  from  on  high  for  the 
conflict,  they  would  break  all  opposition,  destroy  the  power 
of  armies,  and  drive  into  exile  those  who  denied  Christ  and 
would  defile  his  Holy  Land. 

The  battle  was  fought.     Godfrey  and  his  troops  were  vie- 


The  Crusades.  93 

torious.  They  defeated  the  Moslems  with  great  slaughter, 
and  seized  their  camp.  Thus  defeated,  the  Sultan  retreated  to 
his  own  lands,  leaving  the  Christians  with  a  glorious  victory 
and  complete  dominion  in  Palestine.  Thus  ended  the  first 
great  Crusade  against  the  infidels  of  the  East  for  the  restora- 
tion of  the  land  of  Jerusalem. 

THE  SECOND  CRUSADE. 

The  Second  Crusade  occurred  during  the  years  1147  to 
1149.  In  the  year  114G,  the  city  of  Edessa,  the  greatest  defense 
to  Jerusalem  on  the  side  towards  Mesopotamia,  was  taken  by 
the  Turks,  and  the  entire  population  was  murdered  or  sold 
into  slavery.  It  is  estimated  that  the  Mussulmans  slew 
30,000  of  the  inhabitants  and  carried  1G,000  into  slavery. 
This  disaster  threw  the  entire  West  into  a  state  of  greatest 
alarm,  lest  the  little'  Christian  state,  which  was  established  at 
such  cost  of  tears  and  suffering,  should  again  be  overwhelmed 
with  infidelity,  and  all  the  holy  places  become  a  desolation. 

Pope  Eugenius  III  commissioned  St.  Bernard,  an  eloquent 
monk,  to  preach  a  new  Crusade  in  France  and  Germany.  The 
scenes  that  marked  the  opening  of  the  First  Crusade  were 
now  repeated  in  all  the  countries  of  the  West.  St.  Bernard 
was  the  second  Peter  the  Hermit,  and  wherever  he  went 
great  multitudes  gathered  to  listen  to  his  burning  appeals.  He 
went  everywhere  exhorting  the  Christians  to  arise  in  defense 
of  the  birthplace  of  their  religion.  Edessa  had  been  captured 
and  its  people  slain,  and  now  in  the  flush  of  victory  they 
would  march  upon  Jerusalem,  and  naught  could  stay  the 
desecration  that  would  soon  follow. 


94  Christian  Persecutions. 

St.  Bernard  was  spreading  the  holy  enthusiasm,  and  the 
contagion  seized  not  only  barons,  knights,  and  the  common 
people,  which  classes  composed  the  armies  of  the  First  Cru- 
sade, but  kings  and  emperors  were  now  infected  with  the 
sacred  frenzy.  Jerusalem  was  in  danger  and  the  fever  of 
excitement  was  wild  to  defeat  the  Turkish  enemy.  Louis  VII 
of  France,  and  Conrad  III,  emperor  of  Germany,  were  fore- 
most in  the  establishment  of  powerful  armies.  Louis  was  led 
to  this  undertaking  as  a  penance — ^remorse  of  conscience — 
for  having  perpetrated  an  act  of  great  cruelty  upon  his  revolting 
subjects,  which  act  was  the  burning  of  thirteen  hundred  peo- 
ple in  a  church,  whither  they  had  fled  for  refuge.  To  atone 
for  this  sin  he  would  personally  lead  an  army  to  the  reUef  of 
Jerusalem,  and  if  in  this  act  ol  Christian  piety  he  sliould  lose 
his  life,  or  suffer  the  distress  of  privations,  then,  in  a  measure, 
he  might  free  his  conscience  from  its  deep  remorse. 

The  success  of  this  magnificent  army  of  Crusaders  was 
turned  to  a  disastrous  defeat  when  they  crossed  to  Asia  Minor, 
and  be  it  said  to  the  eternal  shame  of  the  Greeks,  their  em- 
peror, Manuel,  through  the  jealousy  of  the  Western  successes, 
and  enthusiasm,  caused  the  Crusading  army  to  be  misled 
through  waste  and  trackless  regions,  where,  through  hunger 
and  exposure,  and  the  swords  of  the  Turks,  a  great  part 
perished,  so  that  it  was  with  a  small  remnant  of  their  followers 
that  the  princes  reached  the  end  of  their  journey. 

Thus  was  rendered  futile,  through  treacherous  jealousy, 
the  Second  Crusade  against  the  barbarous  hordes,  who  were 
becoming  stronger  and  stronger,  and  were  even  threatening 
Constantinople.    In  later  years,  as  though  it  were  a  judgment 


The  Crusades.  95 

sent  against  the  Greek  emperors,  Constantinople  was  captured 
by  the  infidels.  Had  the  Second  Crusade  met  with  its  antici- 
pated success,  by  the  defeat  of  these  gathering  hordes  of  Mos- 
lems, the  future  history  of  the  Christian  Greeks  might  have 
been  different  and  their  beloved  cit}^  would  not  have  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  their  enemies.  But  judgment  or  no  judg- 
ment, the  great  struggle  of  1453,  when  the  Turks  succeeded 
in  obtaining  the  mastery  over  a  large  portion  of  the  Eastern 
Empire,  was  due  to  their  own  local  quarrels  and  the  blind 
jealousy  of  their  Western  neighbors. 

THE  THIRD  CRUSADE. 

The  Third  Crusade  occurred  in  1189  to  1192,  and  was  in- 
stituted because  of  the  capture  of  Jerusalem  by  Saladin,  the 
Sultan  of  Egypt.  It  was  now  scarcely  ninety  years  since  these 
holy  lands  had  been  rescued  from  the  hands  of  the  infidels, 
but  from  a  lack  of  union  between  the  Eastern  and  Western 
divisions  of  Christianity,  the  Moslems  had  gathered  courage^ 
and  strength  and  were  now  the  masters  of  the  Holy  City.  On 
the  bloody  field  of  Hittin  they  destroyed  the  Christian  army, 
imprisoned  the  King  of  Jerusalem  and  forced  his  capital  to 
surrender.  Thus  did  the  Holy  City,  for  which  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  Christians  had  joyfully  surrendered  the  pleasures 
of  earth,  and  through  the  terrible  march  of  destitution,  of  holy 
sacrifice,  had  given  their  lives  and  shed  their  blood,  now  again 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  infidels.  The  holy  places  were  being 
desecrated,  and  the  Cross,  the  Christian's  sign  of  faith  and  ^  >*^" 
endurance,  was  scorned,  insulted,  and  trampled  under  foot,  i---*^   j^,... 


96  Christian  Persecutions. 

This  condition  of  things  was  most  heart-rending  to  the 
devout  Christians  of.  the  West,  and  although  there  was  no 
Peter  or  St.  Bernard  to  stir  the  multitudes  with  the  pictured 
scenes  of  persecution  and  desolation,  yet  they  were  ever 
ready  to  respond  to  the  call  of  loyalty  to  the  holy  land  of  Jesus. 

Three  great  sovereigns  united  in  this  third  defense,  or 
rather  protection,  of  the  lands  of  Palestine.  Frederick  Bar- 
barossa  of  Germany,  Philip  Augustus  of  France,  and  Richard 
I  of  England,  assumed  the  Cross,  and  each  at  the  head  of  a 
large  army,  set  out  for  the  recovery  of  the  Holy  City  and  the 
land  of  Christian  veneration. 

Tlie  English  king,  Richard,  afterwards  given  the  title  of 
the  "Lion-hearted,"  in  memory  of  his  noble  and  heroic  ex- 
ploits in  Palestine,  became  the  central  figure  among  the 
Christian  knights  of  this  Crusade.  Besides  his  deeds  of  valor, 
and  his  ardent  desire  to  redeem  the  land  of  Christ  from  its 
enemies,  he  was  equally  zealous  in  his  determination  at  home 
to  raise  money  to  defray  the  necessary  expenses  of  his  cam- 
paign. He  imposed  enormous  taxes  on  all  classes,  sold 
offices,  positions,  and  royal  lands,  and  when  questioned  re- 
garding his  means  of  raising  money,  repHed,  "I  would  sell  the 
city  of  London,  if  I  could  find  a  purchaser"! 

The  German  army,  under  Frederick,  while  crossing  to 
Asia  Minor,  met  with  an  awful  defeat.  The  hardships  had 
decimated  their  ranks,  and,  unable  to  withstand  the  fierce 
assaults  of  the  Turks,  the  Christians  were  completely  routed. 
The  emperor  was  drowned  while  crossing  a  swollen  stream, 
and  the  survivors  of  the  army,  disheartened  by  the  loss  of 
their  leader,  returned  to  Germany. 


The  Crusades.  97 

The  English  and  French  sovereigns  were  more  success- 
ful than  the  emperor  of  Germany.  They  first  met  the  enemy 
beneajth  the  walls  of  Acre,  where  the  most  desperate  and  long- 
est siege  ever  held  in  Asia,  occurred.  It  is  estimated  that 
over  600,000  were  engaged  in  the  investment  of  the  place,  but 
at  last  the  Crusaders  forced  the  place  to  surrender.  During 
this  siege,  the  renowned  Saladin,  the  chief  of  the  Moham- 
medans, fought  with  wonderful  heroism  to  render  relief  to  his 
garrison,  but  again  and  again  he  was  repulsed,  until,  subdued 
by  the  force  of  Christian  strength,  he  ceased  to  attack. 

During  Richard's  march  through  Palestine  this  Turkish 
chief  was  his  most  obstinate  as  well  as  his  most  chivalrous 
enemy.  Once,  when  Saladin  ascertained  that  Richard  was 
sick  with  a  fever,  and  knowing  that  he  must  be  poorly  sup- 
plied with  delicacies,  he  sent  him  a  gift  of  the  choicest  fruits 
of  the  land.  And  again,  when  Richard's  horse  had  been  killed 
in  battle,  he  caused  a  magnificent  Arabian  steed  to  be  led  to 
the  camp  of  the  Christians  as  a  present  for  his  rival. 

For  two  years  Richard  and  Saladin  were  in  almost  daily 
combat  for  the  possession  of  the  tomb  of  Christ.  These  two 
generals  could  neither  conquer  nor  be  conquered,  and  finally 
Richard  concluded  a  treaty  of  peace  for  three  years  and  eight 
months  with  Saladin.  This  treaty  gave  to  the  Christians, 
during  the  period  of  time  mentioned,  free  access  to  the  holy 
places;  they  were  also  to  remain  in  undisturbed  possession  of 
the  coast  from  Jaffa  to  Tyre.  Thus  closed  the  last  of  the  Cru- 
sades which  were  directed  wholly  to  the  recovery  of  Palestine 
from  the  hands  of  the  infidels.  The  others  which  followed 
either  did  not  accomplish  the  objects  sought,  or  they  were 


98  Christian  Persecutions. 

diverted   from   their   purpose   by   different   conditions   which 
arose,  chief  among  which  was  the  ambition  of  selfish  rulers. 

THE  FOURTH  CRUSADE  (1202-1204). 

This  Crusade  relates  more  especially  to  the  trouble  exist- 
ing between  the  Eastern  and  Western  divisions  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church.  The  Eastern,  or  Greek  division,  had  become 
overbearing  and  demonstrative  against  the  Roman  Church, 
and  in  their  hostility  demanded  the  right  to  dictate  the  powers 
of  the  Popes,  the  proper  form  of  worship,  and  the  designation 
of  objects  of  veneration.  In  this  Crusade  the  Western  Chris- 
tians, instead  of  reaching  Jerusalem,  captured  Constantinople, 
overthrew  a  usurper  who  had  seized  the  Byzantine  throne,  and 
restored  Alexius  as  the  rightful  claimant. 

Scarcely  was  Alexius  seated  on  the  throne,  before  another 
revolt  broke  out,  and  he  met  his  death.  The  Crusaders  were 
now  determined  to  seize  the  capital  and  place  a  Western 
prince  on  the  throne  of  Constahtine.  The  struggle  was  des- 
perate, but  finally  Constantinople  was  the  second  time  taken 
by  storm,  and  sacked,  and  Baldwin,  Count  of  Flanders,  was 
crowned  Emperor  of  the  East. 

This  new  control  of  the  Eastern  Empire  lasted  but  little 
more  than  half  a  century,  when  the  Greeks,  in  12G1,  succeeded 
in  regaining  the  throne,  which  was  held  by  them  until  Con- 
stantinople was  captured  by  the  Turks  in  1453. 

THE  CHILDREN'S  CRUSADE  (1212). 

To  complete  this  chapter  without  giving  the  children  of 
that  period  their  just  due  would  be  a  gross  injustice  to  them. 


The  Crusades.  99 

Strange  as  it  may  seem  to  us,  it  is  nevertheless  true  that  the 
religious  fervor  became  so  inspiring  that  nearly  100,000  chil- 
dren were  seized  with  the  belief  that  for  them  was  reserved 
the  task  to  finally  restore  the  Holy  Land  to  the  Christian  faith. 
The  leader  of  this  movement  was  a  French  peasant  lad  named 
Stephen,  who  became  convinced  that  he  was  divinely  inspired, 
and  in  his  zeal  to  follow  Christ  and  fuUfil  his  holy  mission  he 
went  about  preaching.  The  children  became  wild  with  excite- 
ment. The  eloquent  appeals  of  Stephen  again  threw  the 
country  into  that  wondrous  desire  to  rescue  the  tomb  of 
Jesus  from  the  hands  of  the  infidels.  Crowds  gathered  every- 
where. Children  who  had  known  nothing  of  the  hardships  of 
life  could  not  be  restrained.  "Even  bolts  and  bars  could  not 
hold  them.''  It  was  the  grandest  outpouring  of  Christian  faith 
that  the  \vorld  has  ever  seen.  While  the  people  of  mature 
years  were  intensely  interested,  yet  to  the  children  must  be 
given  the  credit  for  this  wonderful  movement. 

Two  different  opinions  were  raised  as  to  the  inspiration 
of  this  Crusade.  Some  believe  that  the  Holy  Spirit  had  taken 
possession  of  the  children,  and  in  their  confidence  cited  these 
words  of  Scripture:  "A  child  shall  lead  them."  "Out  of  the 
mouth  of  babes  and  sucklings  thou  hast  ordained  praise."  In 
opposition  to  this  belief  others  were  confident  that  it  was  the 
work  of  the  Devil.  But  at  least  this  result  was  obtained: 
The  people  were  aroused  to  the  rapid  encroachment  of  the 
Turk  upon  the  Eastern  countries,  and  if  not  resisted  he 
would  overrun  Europe,  root  out  the  Christian  worship  of  the 
West,  and  thus  again  place  Europe  in  the  hands  of  the  infidels. 
Even  the  Pope  exclaimed:    "These  children  reproach  us  with 


/ 


100  Christian  Persecutions. 

having  fallen  asleep,  whilst  they  were  flying  to  the  assistance 
of  the  Holy  Land." 

We  will  but  briefly  follow  this  heroic  army  of  innocent 
children.  At  Marseilles  there  congregated  about  30,000 
French,  many  of  whom  actually  set  sail,  but  being  betrayed 
were  sold  to  the  Mohammedans  at  Alexandria,  and  other 
slave  markets,  and  none  ever  returned.  The  50,000  German 
children  crossed  the  Alps  and  marched  down  the  shores  of 
Italy,  looking  for  transportation  through  the  Mediterranean. 
Some  thousands  of  these  little  crusaders  sailed  away  into 
oblivion,  and  no  word  ever  came  back  from  them.  After 
severe  hardships  the  remainder  of  this  pious  band  of  Christian 
children  returned  to  their  native  homes. 

The  Minor  Crusades  are  known  as  the  Fiifth,  Sixth, 
Seventh,  and  Eighth.  The  Sixth  Crusade  was  so  fortunate 
as  to  secure  from  the  Saracens  Ihe  restoration  of  Jerusalem, 
together  with  several  other  cities  of  Palestine,  which  occurred 
in  1229.  The  Eighth  Crusade  was  instituted  in  1270-1272, 
because  of  the  misfortunes  of  Palestine,  and  again  was  Chris- 
tian blood  spilled  to  rescue  these  sacred  places  which  were 
early  remembrances  of  Christ.  In  this  Crusade  the  Christians 
captured  Nazareth,  and  compelled  the  Sultan  of  Turkey  to 
sign  a  treaty  of  peace  favorable  to  them. 

We  now  close  this  history  of  the  Holy  Crusades  which  for 
more  than  two  centuries  and  a  half  had  been  an  almost  con- 
stant battle  for  the  preservation  of  Jerusalem  from  the  hands 
of  the  infidels.  According  to  historians  the  upholding  of  the 
Christian  faith  cost  Christianity  the  awful  sacrifice  of  from 
2,000,000  to  6,000,000  human  beings.    Besides  the  misery  and 


The  Crusades.  101 

untold  sufferings,  there  was  a  waste  of  treasure  which  can 
never  be  computed. 

But  we  must  not  look  upon  these  wars  as  a  waste  of 
treasure  and  useless  sacrifice  of  life.  Had  religious  zeal  never 
culminated  in  united  action,  had  the  Christians  of  Western 
Europe  never  attacked  the  Turks  in  their  own  country,  then 
the  advancing  hordes  of  infidelity  would  have  swept  Europe 
as  an  all-consuming  fire,  destroying  intelligence,  overthrowing 
society,  and  crushing  the  spirit  of  Christianity.  While  it  was 
a  sacrifice  almost  beyond  the  conception  of  mind,  yet  on  the 
counter  page  we  see  the  beneficent  results,  we  trace  the 
Sftability  of  Christian  worship,  the  renewed  power  of  the 
Church,  the  intellectual  development  of  Europe,  and  the 
instituting  of  that  great  outburst  of  mental  activity  known  as 
the  "Revival  of  Learning." 

For  centuries  Europe  had  slumbered  in  its  mental  decay, 
but  now  the  mind  had  been  called  into  action,  a  wondrous 
system  of  chivalry  had  been  established,  and  the  whole  of 
Europe  had  teen  aroused  to  deeper  thoughts  of  life  and  action. 
This  broadened  intelligence  was  the  great  incentive  to  dis- 
covery and  exploration.  It  caused  Marco  Polo  and  Sir  John 
Mandeville  to  explore  the  most  remote  countries  of  Asia,  and 
by  it  Columbus,  Vasco  de  Gama,  and  Magellan  were  also  in- 
spired to  adventure  and  voyages  of  discovery.  Not  only  was 
the  mind  awakened  to  the  study  of  art  and  science,  to  develop 
learning,  and  to  extend  Christianity,  but  it  had  stimulated 
trade  and  commerce.  The  wants  of  the  Crusaders  had  thrown 
into  the  laps  of  Venice,  Pisa,  and  Genoa  the  great  wealth 
which  they  had  obtained.     The  Mediterranean  was  whitened 


102  Christian  Persecutions. 

with  the  sails  of  their  transport  ships,  which  were  constantly 
winding  their  ways  between  the  various  ports  of  Europe  and 
the  coast  of  Syria.  Inventions  were  being  devised  and  the 
march  of  progress  and  improvement  was  stamped  upon  every 
thought  and  motion  of  the  Western  people  of  this  revived 
continent. 

Thus  do  we  trace  the  present  enlightenment  of  Europe, 
and  that  of  our  own  country,  to  these  Christian  Crusades.  It 
seems  as  though  God,  in  his  infinite  wisdom,  had  planned  this 
inspiring  zeal  to  rescue  the  tomb  of  Jesus  from  the  hands  of 
the  infidels,  and  in  doing  so,  had  held  in  check  the  Moslem 
hordes,  had  developed  the  pride,  the  power,  and  the  ingenuity 
of  Christian  mankind,  and  had  been  the  means  of  this  won- 
derful "Revival  of  Learning,''  the  advancemelnt  of  prosperity 
and  the  grand  achievements  of  success. 

Had  there  been  no  Crusades,  the  world's  history  would  be 
far  different  from  what  it  now  is.  By  simply  reading  these 
historic  events  as  they  then  occurred,  we  may  not  observe,  we 
may  not  understand,  the  wisdom  of  Providence  in  these  re- 
markable attempts  to  wrest  from  the  hands  of  the  Infidels 
those  holy  places,  but  for  all  that,  these  timely  attacks  of  the 
Western  Christians  held  in  check  the  Turkish  power,  which 
was  gradually  encroaching  upon  the  dominions  of  Christianity. 
This  power  would,  by  a  succession  of  triumphs,  have  overrun 
Europe,  and  where  now  stands  the  Cross  of  Christ,  there 
would  have  appeared  the  Crescent  of  Mohammed. 

No  prince,  emperor.  Pope,  or  Christian  could  have  been 
aroused  against  the  dangers  lurking  in  the  wake  of  this  foe, 
so  stealthily  did  he  gather  his  forces  on  the  Eastern  frontiers 


The  Crusades.  103 

of  these  Christian  nations.  The  march  of  IMohammedanism 
was  slow  but  sure,  and  but  for  the  rehgious  zeal  that  sw'ept  the 
Crusaders  into  the  land  of  the  Infidels,  and  there  battled  with 
them  in  their  own  defenses,  no  power  of  man  could  have 
checked  the  future  desolation  that  would  have  marked  the 
path  of  the  Turks,  as  in  their  onward  march,  bent  upon  con- 
quest, they  would  have  engulfed  all  Europe. 

Constantinople  was  at  one  time  the  seat  of  the  great 
Roman  Empire.  It  was  here  that  Constantine,  the  Pagan 
emperor  of  Rome,  was  converted  to  Christianity,  and  gave  to 
the  world  the  boon  of  a  free  worship  of  God.  It  was  from 
here  that  the  gospel  of  Christ  spread  with  such  wonderful 
rapidity,  and  here  also  it  was  that  science,  art,  and  learning 
flourished  in  its  grandest  perfection.  But  alas!  the  followers 
of  Constantine,  in  after  years,  became  overbearing  in  their 
greatness,  and  because  of  their  inability  to  domineer  the  Pope 
of  Rome  they  severed  themselves  from  the  Church.  Over- 
confident of  their  own  strength,  they  dissipated  their  forces 
on  the  sands  of  disunion,  and  as  a  result,  in  1453,  Constan- 
tinople was  captured  by  the  Turkish  hordes  and  the  great 
Church  of  St.  Sophia  became  the  property  of  the  Moslems, 
and  the  Cross,  which  for  centuries  had  surmounted  its  dome, 
was  replaced  by  the  Crescent,  which  remains  to  this  day. 

Thus  we  find  that  the  present  grandeur  of  Europe  is  due, 
in  a  large  measure,  to  the  unquenchable  religious  zeal  that, 
during  the  period  of  the  Crusades,  held  in  check  the  Turkish 
power,  which,  even  then,  was  a  menace  to  these  Western 
countries. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  REFORMATION. 

FROM  the  Protestant  standpoint  the  Reformation  is  re- 
garded as  the  foundation  of  religious  freedom,  the 
overthrow  of  Catholic  supremacy,  and  the  establishment  of 
new  doctrines  of  worship.  While,  in  a  large  measure,  this 
may  be  true,  yet  from  the  light  of  history  we  conclude  these 
things:  There  being  but  one  religion,  there  could  be  no 
demand  for  freedom  until  new  dogmas  were  invented  and 
new  desires  created.  The  world  practically  knew  but  two 
ideas  of  worship,  that  of  Christianity  and  that  of  pagan  idol- 
atry. Of  idolatry,  we  find  the  Old  Pagan  Mythology  and  the 
lollowcrs  of  Mohammed.  As  the  great  countries  of  India, 
China,  and  Japan  were  not  in  close  connection  with  Europe, 
the  people  were  not  acquainted  with  their  modes  of  worship 
and  l^new  nothing  of  them.  The  Turk  Mahomet  was  the 
only  factor  in  Europe  which  in  any  way  conflicted  with  the 
Christiam  Church.  The  Reformation  instituted  new  creeds, 
translated  the  Bible  into  new  understandings,  and  inaugurated 
conflicts  of  worship,  thereby  creating  a  demand  that  had  not 
existed  before.  Martin  Luther  had  declared  his  theology,  his 
version  of  the  Scriptures,  and  his  doctrine  of  worship  as  the 
only  true  faith,  the  only  true  Gospel  of  Christ,  and  the  only 
means  of  salvation, 

Otlier   Reformers   were    not   content   to   give'  Luther   a 
monopoly  of  this  new  innovation,  but  would  enter  the  field 

104 


The  Reformation.  105 

in  competition,   and  from  these  divisions   arose  the  cry  of 
freedom  of  worship.    Catholics  prescribed  laws  against  heresy, 
and  in  many  instances  executed  them.    But  the  Catholics  were 
not  alone  in  meting  out  punishment.    Even  John  Calvin,  the 
next  greatest  to  Luther  in  the  cause  of  Reformation,  had  the 
Spanish  physician,  Michael  Servetus,  on  the  27th  of  October, 
1553,  burned  as  a  heretic.    And  to  justify  himself,  he  wrote  a 
treatise  explaining  Servetus'  dangerous  doctrine,  his  blaspliemy 
against  holy  worship,  and  the  awful  example  of  an  ungodly 
man.     In  this  treatise,  or  explanation,  Calvin  invents  many 
excuses  for  this  desperate  means  of  ridding  the  country  of  the 
man.     It  was  not  because  he  was  immoral  in  character,  but 
spiritually  immoral,  depraved  in  the  sight  of  God,  dangerous 
to  the  faithful,  a  stumbling-block  to  the  wavering,  a  reproach, 
an  infidel,  a  heretic  and  by  the  laws  of  empire  must  be  burned. 
Other  renowned  reformers  of  this  age  advocated  the  exe- 
cution of  heretics.     Even  Melanchthon,  who  took  the  leader- 
ship after  the  death  of  Luther,  wrote  to  John  Calvin  praising 
him  for  the  execution  of  Servetus,  and  endorsed  its  justice. 
But  we  are  not  competent,  at  this  time  in  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, owing  to  our  education  of  obedience,  to  rightfully  judge 
the  people  of  the  sixteenth  century.    At  that  time  heresy  was 
considered  a  more  grievous  crime  than  high  treason  itself. 
The  people  of  that  era  were  taught  to  believe  it  a  crime,  while 
we  are  taught  to  observe  tolerance,  to  call  it  a  privilege,  a  uni- 
versal right,  a  question  you  cannot  question,  a  foundation  of 
liberty,  and  the  inalienable  right  of  man.    We  accord  to  every 
man  the  right  to  say  what  he  chooses  in  the  defamation  of 
Christ,  to  villify  God's  Holy  Word,  to  write  and  talk  Atheism, 

18) 


106  Christian  Persecutions. 

to  denounce  the  Church,  >the  Bible  as  only  the  invention  of 
man,  to  say,  do,  act  and  scoff  at  worship.  All  these  and 
more,  are  the  boasted  rights  we  accord  man,  in  our  freedom  of 
speech,  thought,  deed,  and  action.  The  o'nly  restraint  we  have 
placed  upon  him  is  that  he  shall  not  disturb  others  while  en- 
gaged in  devotion.  It  is  not  a  restraint  from  the  blasphemy 
of  God,  but  from  interfering  with  the  individual  right  which 
each  man  has  of  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness. 
With  these  privileges  we  have  no  right  to  charge,  crime  to  a 
church,  nor  to  a  law  that  lays  down  a  penalty  for  the  abuse 
of  all  that  is  holy,  sg,cred,  and  pure.  In  their  rigid  punishment 
of  heresy  they  may  have  gone  too  far,  but  in  our  liberalism 
may  we  not  have  gone  to  the  other  extreme?  They  called  it 
a  crime  to  deny  God;  we  laugh  and  jest  at  the  blasphemies  of 
His  Holy  Name.  They  taught  reverence,  obedience,  and 
justification;  we  teach  the  right  of  man  to  reverence  nothing, 
to  obey  nothing,  and  to  worship  nothimg.  They  taught 
restraint;  we  are  bound  by  none  on  earth,  or  heaven,  or  hell. 
The  whole  realm  of  infinity  is  ours  to  revile,  to  curse,  to 
damn.  Such  is  the  boasted  privilege  of  our  vested  rights  in 
the  great  kingdom  of  freedom.  Glorious  freedom!  Freedom 
of  here'sy,  of  license,  of  power  to  defy,  to  scorn  and  scofY, 
to  persecute  and  crucify,  and  to  breathe  the  words  of  slander, 
jest,  and  falsehood.  Shame  to  denounce  one  extreme  and 
allow  the  opposite.  If,  in  their  zeal  for  the  welfare  of  the 
future  existence  of  man,  they  were  too  severe,  have  we  not, 
m  return,  desecrated  the  sacred  worship  ol  God  beyond  tlie 
hope  of  redemptibn,  of  salvation,  and  of  eternal  life?  May 
not  our  freedom  of  desecration  bring  upon  us  the  damning 


The  Reformation.  107 

words  when  in  the  day  of  judgment  we  are  commanded  to 
depart  from  Me,  for  I  know  you  not? 

In  the  establishment  of  the  Lutheran  worship  im  Germany, 
the  reformers  were  constantly  working  upon  the  feelings  and 
prejudices  of  the  German  princes.  To  be  free  from  the  Church 
of  Rome  was  to  have  greater  temporal  power,  more  direct 
access  to  the  public  treasury,  and  less  restraint.  As  this 
country  was  divided  into  many  small  kingdoms,  it  became  the 
great  object  of  Luther  to  draw  them  into  a  closer  alliance, 
thus  strengthening,  not  only  their  powers  of  possession,  but 
congregating  a  greater  religious  force  by  which  the  doctrine 
of  Luther  will  be  more  firmly  established,  the  laws  of  the 
Catholic  Church  abolished,  and  the  destruction  of  the 
monasteries  made  complete. 

As  the  people  under  the  princes  were  easily  weaned  from 
their  forms  of  worship,  by  the  example  of  the  lords  and 
nobles,  it  is  not  surprising  to  find  the  doctrine  so  universally 
accepted.  Where  the  people  were  slow  to  become  reconciled 
to  this  change  force  was  introduced  and  they  were  compelled 
to  obey  the  mandates  of  those  in  authority.  In  order  to  have 
unity  of  action  in  the  explanation  of  their  belief,  and  to  prevent 
any  new  reforms,  a  system  of  visitation  was  established,  by 
which  commissioners  would  give  instruction  to  the  ministers 
and  prescribe  rules  of  government.  In  1527  Melanchthon,  the 
chief  lieutenant  of  Luther,  published  his  little  book  of  "Visita- 
tion for  the  Preservation  of  Unity  in  Doctrine  and  Worship." 
This  gave  to  the  clergy  a  condensed  form  of  Luther's  doctrine 
of  worship.  It  gave  instruction  how  to  proceed,  what  to  im- 
press more  forcibly,  and  how  to  explain  it.    Two  years  later 


108  Christian  Persecutions. 

Luther  issued  his  large  and  small  Catechisms.  Thus  the  faith 
was  established  by  a  direct  line  of  instruction.  In  1542  con- 
sistories were  established  and  a  system  inaugurated  by  which 
superintendents  were  appointed  to  carefully  watch  over  the 
future  exposition  of  this  new  declaration  of  Reformation.  A 
rigid  discipline  was  instituted,  and  the  clergy  commanded  to 
observe  the  rules  of  faith,  and  preach  only  the  doctrine  as 
formulated  by  Luther  and  his  co-laborers. 

To  further  enhance  the  prejudices  against  the  Pope,  Luther 
wrote  "The  Papacy  at  Rome  an  Institution  of  the  Devil.'' 
In  this  work  he  used  his  greatest  powers  of  expression.  His 
language  was  often  coarse  and  almost  vulgar.  He  upbraided 
him  with  curses,  and  assailed  him  as  a  vile  and  impious 
wretch.  He  denounced  him  as  a  creature  of  the  devil,  a  false 
prophet,  a  power  of  crime,  a  despot  under  the  cloak  of  relig- 
ion, a  stench  to  humanity,  and  for  the  benefit  of  the  true 
worship  of  God,  should  be  denied  sovereignty,  despoiled  of 
his  possessions,  and  be  an  exile  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  Con- 
sidering these  denunciations,  is  it  any  wonder  that  prejudices 
grew  rapidly,  and  that  the  Pope  should  seek  to  destroy  his 
poisonous  influence  by  the  power  of  conflict?  And  yet  Luther 
was  never  arrested  for  the  violation  of  Church  or  State  laws! 
His  body  was  never  assailed,  and  his  safe-conduct  agreed  to 
when  he  went  to  the  great  Diets  for  examination. 

To  follow  closely  the  rise  of  this  Reformation  we  must 
note  some  historical  facts  in  relation  to  France,  Italy,  Spain, 
and  Germany.  Charles  I,  of  Spain,  who  afterwards  became 
Emperor  Charles  V,  was  the  son  of  Pliilip  the  Handsome, 
Archduke  of  Austria,  and  Joanna,  daughter  of  Ferdinand  and 


The  Reformation.  109 

Isabella  of  Spain.  This  marriage  conferred  upon  him  "the 
converging  point  and  heir  of  four  great  royal  lines,  which  had 
become  united  by  a  series  of  happy  matrimonial  alliances." 
This  alliance  included  the  houses  of  Castile,  Aragon,  Austria, 
and  Burgimdy.  To  this  was  added,  by  the  vote  of  the  Elect- 
ors of  Germany,  the  sovereignty  of  the  Holy  Roman  Empire, 

Charles  now  having  great  combined  strength,  resolved  to 
consecrate  his  life  to  the  restoration  of  the  Pope's  power  over 
all  Christendom,  and  to  destroy,  not  only  the  movement  of 
the  Reformation,  but  the  seeds  that  had  been  sown.  It  now 
seemed  to  the  world  as  if  the  fortunes  of  the  Reformation, 
this  religious  revolt,  were  lost.  He  placed  himself  at  the  head 
of  the  Catholic  party  and  was  about  to  "employ  the  strength 
and  resources  of  his  empire  in  repressing  the  heresy  of 
reform,"  when  outside  complications  arose  and  he  was  obliged 
to  cease  active  demonstrations.  These  complications  consisted 
of  the  attitudes  of  Francis  I,  of  France,  and  of  Solyman,  the 
Magnificent,  Sultan  of  Turkey.  These  two  monarchies  were 
the  most  powerful  dominions  then  in  Europe.  For  some 
reason,  whenever  Charles  threatened  a  crusade  against  the 
German  heretics,  these  forces,  sometimes  acting  in  concert, 
would  arise  against  him  and  the  crusade  would  be  abandoned. 

Four  wars  were  waged  against  Charles,  with  disastrous 
results  to  his  kingdom  and  the  Church  of  Rome.  In  the  first 
war  Francis  was  defeated,  but  gathering  strength  by  uniting 
with  the  German  Lutherans,  he  captured  Rome,  sacked  the 
city,  and  committed  outrages  only  equaled  by  the  terrible 
days  of  the  Goth  and  Vandal.  It  was  a  great  victory  for  the 
followers  of  Luther.    They  had  retaliated  for  the  excommuni- 


110  Christian  Persecutions. 

cations  and  the  edicts  of  the  Pope.  The  ban  was  broken  by 
victory,  the  Pope's  power  destroyed  by  conquest,  ruin,  and 
desolation.  As  the  Imperial  army  was  composed  mostly  of 
Lutherans,  the  cry  was,  Down  with  the  Pope!  Down  with 
Catholic  power!  Down  with  the  forces  of  Satan!  Down  for- 
ever the  curse  of  empires,  of  kingfdoms,  and  principalities! 
Luther  was  avenged,  and  gloried  that  the  Reformation  was 
made  stronger,  more  enduring,  and  more  perfect  in  the  sight 
of  God. 

In  the  third  war  Francis  shocked  all  Christendom  by 
forming  an  alliance  with  the  Turkish  Sultan,  who,  with  his 
powerful  fleets,  ravaged  the  coasts  of  Italy,  captured  cities, 
destroyed  churches,  burned  monasteries  and  persecuted 
Catholic  Christians.  In  this  war  we  find  Turkish  barbarity 
trying  to  outdo  its  previous  records  of  pillage,  rapine,  and 
murder. 

In  the  fourth  war  the  rival  forces  gain  nothing,  and  the 
provinces  are  restored  to  the  same  possessors  as  before  the 
first  war. 

The  result  of  these  wars  was  disastrous  to  nearly  all  of 
Europe.  The  strife  between  the  followers  of  the  Reformation 
and  the  Catholic  Church  was  bitter  in  the  extreme,  and 
beyond  the  possibility  of  peace.  They  became  possessed  of  a 
hatred  so  deep-seated  that,  in  principle,  can  never  die. 
Friends  becanse  enemies,  and  this  enmity,  in  the  struggle  for 
conquest,  grew  stronger  and  stronger.  The  Turks  were  ter- 
rible in  their  ravages  of  Hungary,  in  the  capture  of  Rhodes, 
and  in  the  pillage  of  the  Mediterranean  shores.  Thousands 
of  Cathohcs  were  captured  and  chained  to  the  oars  of  Turkish 


The  Reformation,  111 

galleys,  where  they  suffered  the  cruelties  of  untold  persecu- 
tion. They  were  slaves  of  a  barbarous  race,  a  race  without 
pity  or  compassion,  a  race  devoid  of  Christian  manhood  and 
tolerance,  a  race  of  despotic  power,  of  unbroken  cruelty,  of 
oppression,  brutality,  plunder,  and  crime. 

History  informs  us  that  Charles  made  a  desperate  fight 
with  the  Turks  at  Barbarossa,  Tunis,  defeating  them  and 
setting  free  20,000  Christian  captives.  For  this  brilliant 
achievement  all  of  Europe  was  wild  with  applause.  The 
Turks  had  become  a  menacing  power  to  Christianity.  Their 
captives  were  made  slaves,  or  butchered  in  relentless  persecu- 
tion. It  was  not  warfare  in  the  light  of  civilization,  but  scenes 
of  excessive  cruelty,  scenes  of  extermination,  of  prostitution 
and  slavery. 

How  little  we,  of  the  nineteenth  century,  realize  the  awful 
persecution  of  our  ancient  Christian  fathers!  How  little  we 
reverence  those  faithful  men  and  women  who,  in  the  earnest 
faith  of  a  tme  heart,  surrendered  life  rather  than  suiTcnder 
the  conscience  of  their  souls!  What,  then,  can  we  say  of  those 
who,  in  the  full  manhood  of  strength  and  power,  in  possession 
of  all  that  constitutes  happiness,  love,  and  affection,  of  their 
own  free  will  and  accord,  without  provocation  or  excuse,  and 
of  deliberate  purpose,  assail  the  vows  of  their  worship,  the 
vows  of  constancy,  the  pledge  of  fidelity,  the  true  cross  of 
Christ?  If  they  will  perjure  their  souls  with  the  awful  declara- 
tion of  apostate  denial,  what  right  have  we  to  recognize  them 
in  any  form  of  truth,  virtue  or  responsibihty?  Is  it  no  sin  to 
obligate  one's  self  in  the  profession  of  faith,  discipline,  and 
obedience,  and   then   intentionally,   wilfully,  and  maliciously 


112  Christian  Persecutions. 

defame  that  faith,  that  discipHne,  that  obedience?  Are  you  to 
be  raised  to  the  subHme  height  of  heroism,  because  you  slan- 
der the  hand  that  kissed  and  blessed  you?  What  form  of 
ingratitude  is  baser  or  more  ignoble,  than  to  spurn  the  love 
and  affection,  the  trust  and  confidence,  of  one  who  seeks  only 
for  your  benefit,  who  labors  only  for  your  reward,  only  for 
the  advancement  of  your  pleasure  and  happiness? 

If  a  man  enter  your  house  and  ask  for  bread,  and  you  greet 
him  with  true  Samaritan  affection,  what  manner  of  reptile 
must  he  be  to  accept  your  alms  and  then  curse  the  hand  that 
gives  it?  What  indignation  must  rise  to  your  thoughts  as  you 
think  of  his  depraved  nature,  the  lost  manhood,  and  the 
accursed  Satan  that  must  control  his  being?  You  lose  your 
respect  for  the  unfortunate  poor  because  of  this  blot  on 
humanity,  this  blot  on  God's  handiwork,  this  barbarous  and 
ungrateful  creature,  this  contemptible  relic  of  a  falsehood. to 
life,  a  falsehood  to  nature,  and  a  falsehood  to  charity.  Words 
cannot  express  your  righteous  indignation  that  there  can 
exist  a  wretch  so  vile,  so  mean,  so  low,  so  contemptible  in  the 
measure  of  decency,  so  abhorring  to  all  the  blessings  of  virtue, 
of  truth,  and  of  human  sacrifice.  And  yet  the  world  is  full 
of  this  saddest  of  all  sad  pictures,  of  a  broken  faith,  unrequited 
love,  and  cowardly  desecration  of  God's  command  to  give 
charity  to  the  poor,  benevolence  to  the  afflicted,  and  brotherly 
love  to  all. 


CHAPTER  X. 

ORIGIN  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

J\  yi  ANY  books  have  been  published  in  explanation  of  the 
^  '  ^  cause  and  effects  of  the  Reformation,  but  these  books 
widely  differ  in  regard  to  its  true  origin,  the  true  causes,  and 
the  true  effect  upon  mankind  and  his  civilization.  The  unob- 
servant reader  becomes  confused  at  the  contradictions,  the 
lack  of  harmony,  and  the  apparent  desire  to  suppress  facts. 
Read  from  the  life  of  Martin  Luther,  and  these  authors  are 
prejudiced  almost  wholly  in  the  line  of  exultation  over  his 
achievements,  his  great  power  of  denunciation  of  all  things 
Catholic,  and  the  establishment  of  a  new  doctrine  of  worship. 
To  accept  the  belief,  or  statement,  of  these  authors  is  incon- 
sistent with  good  judgment.  Tliese  versions  are  highly  col- 
ored in  order  to  give  honor,  force,  and  prestige  to  the  hero 
they  describe.  While  Luther  was  powerftil  in  his  denuncia- 
tion of  the  Pope,  and  in  establishing  a  new  creed,  yet  others 
were  equally  earnest,  and  labored  to  place  themselves  at  the 
head  of  bands  of  reformers  and  secure  a  portion  of  the 
notoriety. 

The  introduction  and  spread  of  Protestantism  is  not  based 
upon  the  same  foundation.  It  differs  materially  in  the  differ- 
ent countries  where  established.  The  cause  in  one  country 
may  be  wholly  different  than  in  another;  in  fact,  there  are 
almost  as  many  different  causes  as  different  governments 
that  embraced  it. 


114  Christian  Persecutions. 

In^Eu^and  it  was  wliolly  based  upon  the  selfish  desires  of 
the  King,  Henry  VIII.  He  had  become  enamored  with  Anne 
Boleyn,  the  beautiful  maid  of  honor  in  the  Queen's  household, 
and  he  conceived  the  plan  of  putting"  away  his  own  wife,  and 
by  consent  of  the  Pope,  marry  Anne.  To  this  end  he  asked 
for  a  divorce,  but  was  refused,  the  Church  laws  being  against 
it.  Enraged  by  the  refusal  to  encompass  his  ends  he  rebelled 
against  the  Church  of  Rome,  made  new  appointments  of  arch- 
bishops, established  a  court  within  the  church  and  obtained 
his  divorce.  Being  excommunicated,  he  declared  his  people 
no  longer  under  the  religious  control  of  the  Pope,  and  thus 
established  a  new  church,  the  Church  of  England. 

In  Germany  it  was  an  attempt  of  Martin  Luther  to  engraft 
his  theology  upon  the  Catholic  Church,  and  failing,  appealed 
to  the  people  to  renounce  their  allegiance  to  the  old  doctrine 
and  become  confessors  of  the  new. 

In  France  it  was  John  Calvin  and  the  Huguenots,  while 
in  Switzerland  it  was  Zwinglianism.  In  Holland  the  Puritans, 
while  Anabaptists  were  in  Sweden,  Germany  and  England. 

It  was  a  rivalry  among  restless  and  unrestrained  agitators. 
The  Christian  world  was  being  shaken  by  the  fiery  zeal  of 
these  would-be  reformers.  The  atmosphere  was  charged  with 
the  spirit  of  change,  and  the  people  were  willing  listeners  to 
the  exhortations,  the  new  worship  of  God,  and  the  new  plans 
of  salvation.  Princes  were  appealed  to  to  drop  the  allegiance 
to  the  Church  and  place  the  revenues  at  their  own  disposal. 
Jealous  monarchs  desired  more  territory  and  seized  the  Papal 
States,  confiscated  revenues,  levied  tribute  and  destroyed  the 
peace  of  nations.    Wars  became  unrestrained.    Pillage,  devas- 


Origin  of  the  Reformation.  115 

tation,  ruin,  and  bloodshed  were  almost  everywhere.  Men 
fought  for  conquest,  for  religion,  for  church  and  for  the  gospel 
of  faith.  It  was  a  series  of  uncontrolled  passion  for  and 
against.  They  followed  their  leaders  in  blind  fanaticism. 
Down  with  the  Pope  and  his  influence!  Down  with  the 
Church  of  Rome,  the  monasteries,  and  all  institutions  of 
Catholic  learning! 

Conventions  were  called  to  smooth  the  ways  for  peace,  but 
of  no  avail.  The  reformers  were  growing  louder  and  louder, 
and  their  declarations  bolder  and  bolder.  It  was  a  whirlwind 
sweeping  the  fields  of  religious  revolt.  The  fire  was  being 
fed  by  new  exhortations,  new  appeals  to  throw  off  the  bonds 
of  Popedom,  and  new  manifestations  of  zeal  in  the  cause  of 
this  new  Reformation.  It  was  a  religious  reign  of  terror. 
Like  France  in  the  days  of  Robespierre,  it  was  a  howling, 
bellowing  mob  of  religious  revolt,  of  persecution  of  people, 
property,  and  government. 

History  informs  us  that  in  the  establishment  of  Prot- 
estantism in  Germany  it  was  one  long  line  of  wars,  conflicts, 
and  desolation.  In  two  years  (1524-1525)  the  "Peasants'  War" 
in  Germany  was  one  of  the  most  destructive  of  that  period. 
It  caused  the  sacrifice  of  over  one  hundred  thousand  lives, 
while  castles,  monasteries,  churches,  chapels,  were  sacked  and 
burned.  Men,  women,  and  children  were  denied  decent  pro- 
tection. Religious  excitement  was  fanatic  madness,  influenced 
by  incendiary  exhortations.  The  reformers  were  falling  in 
disfavor  and  disrepute,  and  although  it  was  not  wholly  a 
religious  war,  yet  it  is  charged  that  the  whole  cause  of  foment 
was  due  to  their  teachings  and  their  influence  in   howling 


116  Christian  Persecutions. 

against  the  Catholic  Church.  But  be  it  as  it  may,  the  follow- 
ers of  the  Roman  Church  were  special  marks  for  hatred, 
malice,  and  persecution.  They  fought  to  defend  their  homes, 
their  honor,  and  their  religion.  It  was  a  war  against  tolera- 
tion, against  religious  freedom,  and  against  the  worship  of 
God,  except  under  the  dictatio'U  of  fanatical  leaders. 

This  war  was  not  closed  until  a  large  part  of  Germany 
was  made  desolate  by  fire  and  sword.  It  was  the  old  barbaric 
frenzy  of  extermination.  No  quarter,  no  toleration,  no  Catho- 
lic worship.  It  was  the  compulsion  of  Reformation  to  have 
no  faith  but  their  faith,  no  church  but  their  church,  no  wor- 
ship but  their  worship.  This  exacting  creed  could  see  only 
the  proposed  salvation  of  their  own  exposition.  They  were 
right,  and  all  who  opposed  them,  or  would  not  accept  theii' 
doctrine,  were  wrong  and  must  be  corrected  by  the  force 
of  power. 

While  Luther  was  dealing  out  his  Reformation  to  the  peo- 
ple of  Germany,  other  reformers  were  at  work  in  France  and 
Switzerland.  In  France  it  was  John  Calvin,  while  in  Switzer- 
land it  was  Ulric  Zwingli.  These  two  factions  of  the  Prot- 
estants were  assailing  the  Pope  and  the  Roman  Church,  but 
at  the  same  time  John  Ualvin  was  denouncing  Zwingli  as  an 
impostor  and  a  mercenary  heretic.  This  new  conflict  became 
a  menace  to  the  cause  of  Reformation  and  came  near  pro- 
ducing a  rebellion  in  their  own  ranks. 

We  may,  therefore,  charge  that  the  Reformation  was 
originated  by  the  inventive  resources  of  Martin  Luther  and 
his  allies;  Henry  VIII,  and  his  licentious  conduct;  Ulric 
Zwingli  in  Switzerland,  John  Calvin  in  France  and  Switzer- 


Origin  of  the  Reformation.  117 

land,  and  numerous  allies  who  sought  excitement  in  pro- 
claiming opposition  to  the  Church  of  Rome.  Most  of  these 
reformers  were  apostate  priests,  and  having  been  in  influence 
among  the  people,  could  easily  command  a  following. 

These  men  were  those  most  prominent  in  the  establish- 
ment of  religious  revolt,  which  to-day  has  been  divided  and  ^ 
subdivided,  until  the  various  creeds  number  hundreds  of  dif-  / 
fcrcnt  denominations,  while  the  Catholic  Church  remains  the 
same  in  principles  of  worship,  stronger  in  the  power  of  adher- 
ence, of  discipline,  and  of  religious  tolerance.  Its  influence 
is  felt  over  the  entire  civilized  world.  Its  missions  of  worship 
exist  among  all  races  of  men,  and  its  Christian  influence  is 
advancing  civilization,  and  with  civilization  we  have  a  uni- 
versal worship  of  Christ,  the  improvement  of  mankind,  and 
the  establishment  of  trade,  commerce,  and  industry. 

Christianity  not  only  teaches  the  blessings  of  religion,  but 
it  educates  the  mind,  develops  the  intelligence,  and  raises  man 
above  the  sphere  of  indifference,  above  lawless  ignorance,  and 
above  the  base  and  brutal  instincts  of  society.  It  is  the  great 
central  power  of  progress,  or  promotion,  in  the  achievements 
of  thought  and  purpose.  It  seeks  to  build  character,  to 
improve  ambition,  and  to  teach  the  soul  the  true  mission 
of  life. 

History  informs  us  that  from  the  date  of  Martin  Luther's 
first  public  declaration  of  Reformation,  one  hundred  and 
thirty  years  of  terrible  bloodshed  and  carnage  ensued  before 
peace  was  again  resumed.  Not  that  it  was  one  hundred  and 
thirty  years  of  constant  war,  but  a  constant  agitation,  turmoil, 
and  periodic  rebellions,  and  in  the  close  of  the  war  between 


118  Christian  Persecutions, 

Protestants  and  Catholics  we  find  thirty  years  of  the  most 
stupendous  desolation  of  life  and  property  that  the  world 
ever  saw. 

Almost  exactly  one  hundred  years  from  the  time  Martin 
Luther  posted  his  ninety-five  theses  on  the  door  of  the  court 
church  at  Wittenberg,  the  "Thirty  Years'  War"  was  begun. 
It  was  the  last  great  religious  conflict  between  these  two 
forces.  The  Catholics  no  longer  sought  to  sustain  their 
religion  by  force  of  arms,  but  by  the  power  of  wisdom,  of 
constant  vigilance,  and  the  close  application  of  its  influence, 
it  would  conquer  the  world  to  an  acknowledgment  of  its 
universal  faith  among  all  men. 

How  wonderful  have  been  its  achievements  when  to-day 
we  see  this  Church  established  in  almost  every  city  and  hamlet 
in  the  civilized  world!  It  is  no  longer  a  cry  to  arms,  but  an 
appeal  to  human  nature.  It  is  a  diffusion  of  the  Gospel  of 
St.  Peter  in  all  the  commercial  interests  of  life.  It  is  the 
acknowledgment  of  universal  toleration,  universal  peace  and 
good-will,  and  universal  Christianity  in  the  hearts  of  the 
people.  It  is  no  longer  the  jealousies  of  kings,  princes  and 
potentates.  It  is  the  worship  of  God,  the  advancement  of 
love  and  kindness,  and  the  establishment  of  the  teachings  of 
Christ  in  all  the  nations  of  the  earth. 


M 


CHAPTER  XI. 

MARTIN    LUTHER. 

ARTIN  LUTHER  was  born  at  Eisleben,  Saxony, 
November  10,  1483,  and  died  in  15-tG.  At  a  very 
young  age  he  developed  a  remarkable  genius  for  thought, 
study  and  advancement  in  discussion.  His  parents  were  poor, 
but  determined  to  educate  Martin  in  the  profession  of  law, 
but  in  this  they  were  not  successful.  His  early  Cliristian 
training  was  far  more  impressive  than  cjuestions  of  law,  and 
he  became  a  conscientious  and  devout  Catholic.  He  studied 
for  the  ministry,  and  in  1507  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood. 

Soon  after  being  ordained  he  was  passing  through  a  forest 
in  company  with  a  friend,  when  a  terrible  storm  burst  upon 
them.  His  friend  was  killed  by  lightning,  and  as  the  fearful 
bolts  rent  tree  after  tree  he  became  stricken  with  an  exceed- 
ing great  fear,  and  cried  aloud:  "Help  me,  dear  St.  Anna! 
I  will  become  a  monk."  True  to  this  solemn  vow  he  imme- 
diately made  arrangements  to  enter  a  monastery,  and  soon 
bade  adieu  to  his  friends  and  took  upon  himself  the  monastic 
vows  that  would  forever  pledge  his  faith,  his  works,  and  his 
life  to  the  cause  of  Christ  and  His  Church. 

Luther's  life  was  one  of  strict  observance  of  every  vow  and 
requirement  of  his  religious  order.  He  rigidly  demanded  of 
others  the  same  principles  he  confessed,  the  same  sacred 
worship,  and  the  same  love  of  humanity.  In  the  monasteries 
he  was  loved  for  his  filial  duty  to  his  superiors,  his  ardent 
worship  of  Christ,  and  his  purity  of  life. 

119 


120  Christian  Persecutions. 

His  zeal  for  the  Church  was  unbounded,  and  when  sent 
as  a  messenger  to  Rome,  he  traveled  on  foot  from  monastery 
to  monaster}^,  across  the  Alps,  his  love  of  worship  growing 
stronger  and  stronger  as  he  beheld  the  faithful  administration 
of  love,  kindness,  and  relief.  At  Florence  he  was  delighted 
with  the  management  of  the  hospitals  by  Christian  women, 
and  when  for  the  first  time  he  beheld  Rome  in  all  its  grandeur 
and  magnificence,  he  was  inspired  with  so  deep  a  veneration 
for  that  Sacred  City  that  he  fell  upon  his  knees,  and  with 
uplifted  hands  exclaimed:  "Hail,  Holy  Rome!  Oh,  Rome! 
Rome!  The  city  of  Christ,  the  city  of  St.  Peter,  and  the  city 
of  consecrated  worship.     How  I  love  thee." 

His  admiration  of  Rome  was  increased  as  he  visited  its 
historic  monuments  of  greatness,  its  Colosseum,  gardens, 
aqueduct,  ancient  feats  of  engineering,  its  statues,  and,  above 
all,  the  ecclesiastical  buildings  and  the  massive  and  imposing 
structure  of  St.  Peter's.  For  hours  he  viewed  these  structures 
with  admiration,  and  blessed  God  for  the  privilege  of  behold- 
ing their  splendor. 

But  not  from  the  pleasure  of  viewing  these  holy  buildings 
did  he  derive  his  greatest  satisfaction.  He  longed  to  stand 
in  the  influence  of  Holy  Authority  and  receive  the  spiritual 
blessings  which  would  gladden  his  pious  longings.  He  would 
make  a  full  confession  of  all  his  sins,  and  in  his  toilsome 
ascent  of  Pilate's  stairway  he  would  continue  his  praises  to 
God  for  the  divine  privilege  of  these  favors  in  the  Holy  City 
of  Rome. 

Luther  returned  to  Germany  with  the  highest  aspirations 
of  Christian  duties.     He  had  become  a  devout  admirer  and 


Martin  Luther.  121 

champion  of  the  Pope.  He  had  seen  him  and  met  him  in 
the  purity  of  Christian  faith.  He  had  loved  him  from  afar, 
but  now  he  was  thrice  loved  and  revered  as  he  thought  of 
the  Apostle  Peter,  of  Christ,  and  of  God.  Luther's  heart  was 
filled  with  true  devotion  to  his  Church,  his  religion,  and  his 
vows.  If  he  had  loved  his  religion  before,  he  now  promised 
to  consecrate  anew  his  life  to  the  advancement  of  Christianity. 
He  had  received  new  encouragements,  new  visions  of  eternal 
life,  and  new  veneration  for  the  great  head  of  the  Catholic 
Church. 

His  conduct  at  Rome  won  for  him  the  esteem  of  the  Pope 
and  those  in  high  authority.  His  earnest  Christian  worship, 
and  fidelity  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  were  everywhere  regarded 
as  the  offerings  of  a  pure  heart.  He  came  to  Rome  for  instruc- 
tion, and  returned  filled  with  wisdom  and  truth.  He  came  in 
the  expectation  of  a  spiritual  blessing  and  received  it,  and 
went  away  in  the  full  resolution  of  a  dutiful  son.  He  felt 
more  fully  than  ever  the  sanctity  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary, 
and  returned  with  a  gracious  vow  of  perpetual  purity.  He 
knelt  at  the  altar  of  St.  Peter,  and  arose  with  the  bright 
visions  of  eternal  peace. 

The  rapid  promotion  of  Luther  soon  found  him  installed 
as  a  professor  of  theology  in  the  University  of  Wittenberg, 
where  he  explained  the  Scriptures  with  great  power  of  reason. 
He  became  not  only  a  follower,  but  a  powerful  leader.  His 
power  of  language  and  expression  entranced  his  hearers,  and 
he  became  known  throughout  all  Germany  as  one  of  the  most 
able  and  learned  priests.  He  taught  purity  of  thought,  deed, 
and  action,  and  although  priest  might  sin,  yet  he  would  not 

(0) 


122  Christian  Persecutions. 

condemn.     His  compassion  was  great,  and  forgiveness  the 
divine  instruction  of  God. 

Once  when  informed  of  the  disgrace  of  a  monk  he  said: 
"That  offenses  come  I  know  is  necessary;  the  wonder  is  that 
man  rises  and  stands.  Peter  fell  that  he  might  know  himself 
to  be  a  man.  To-day  the  cedars  of  Lebanon,  which  touch  the 
heavens  with  their  heads,  are  falling.  Even  an  angel  (a  won- 
der surpassing  all  wonders)  fell  in  Heaven,  and  Adam  in 
Paradise.  What  wonder,  then,  if  a  reed  be  moved  by  the 
wind,  and  the  smoking  flax  be  cjuenched!'' 

Here  we  have  an  example  of  Luther's  compassion  for  his 
fellow  man.  He  seeks  to  mitigate  the  cause  by  the  wonder 
that  man,  under  the  temptations  of  life,  can  stand  at  all.  He 
realized  the  power  of  sin,  the  power  of  passion  over  wisdom, 
the  body  over  mind.  He  knew  that  even  an  angel  in  Heaven 
could  fall,  that  the  Apostle  Peter  had  even  denied  Christ, 
and  for  man,  or  priest,  to  be  perfect  and  free  from  sin,  was 
to  claim  divine  origin.  P>ut,  while  it  was  not  impossible  to 
fall,  yet  he  believed  with  Christian  strength  the  d'esire  for  sin 
could  b'e  controlled  and  tlic  mind,  the  thougli't,  the  soul,  would 
rise  above  the  body  and  temptation  would  fall  harmless  at 
his  feet. 

Again,  we  find  him  in  the  character  of  giving  advice,  and 
in  a  letter  to  Michael  Dressel  he  explains  as  follows:  "You 
are  seeking  peace,  but  in  the  reverse  order;  for  you  are  seek- 
ing it  as  the  world,  and  not  as  Christ  gives.  Do  you  not 
know,  good  father,  that  God  is  wonderful  in  His  people,  just 
because  He  has  placed  His  peace  in  the  midst  of  no  peace. 
Peace,  therefore,  is  not  to  be  found  with  the  man  whom  no 


Martin  Luther.  123 

one  disturbs,  for  this  is  the  peace  of  the  world,  but  with  Him 
whom  all  men  and  all  things  disturb,  and  who,  nevertheless, 
calmly  and  joyfully  bears  all  things.  With  Israel,  you  are 
saying:  Peace,  peace;  and  there  is  no  peace.  Say,  rather, 
with  Christ:  Cross,  cross;  and  there  is  no  cross.  For  the 
cross  ceases  to  be  a  cross  as  soon  as  you  can  joyfully  exclaim: 
Blessed  Cross,  among  all  trees  there  is  none  like  thee." 

Such  teaching  is  indeed  grand,  sublime.  A  cross  is  no 
cross  when  it  becomes  the  desire  of  the  soul.  In  the  perse- 
cution of  Christians  the  cross  of  crucifixion  was  nothing  less 
than  the  cross  of  eternal  life.  In  the  great  Roman  amphithe- 
aters the  cross  the  Christians  bore  was  the  forerunner  of  the 
establishment  of  Christ's  Church,  the  foundation  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  its  advancement  to  all  nations.  It  was  the  giving 
of  life  that  the  Blessed  Word  of  God  might  live  forever. 

Luther  realized  that  the  greatest  obstacle  to  the  advance- 
ment of  Christianity  was  the  old  Atheistic  philosophy.  He 
saw  that  many  were  prone  to  believe  that  the  best  religion 
was  that  which  was  easiest  to  perform,  that  they  were  disin- 
clined to  believe  where  it  exercised  restraint,  penance,  and 
confession,  and  when  this  old  pagan  philosophy  was  placed 
before  them  they  chose  to  follow  it,  as  it  was  the  broad  road 
to  a  free  imagination,  with  no  remorse,  no  contrition  of  spirit, 
and  no  punishment  of  the  self-will  of  man.  Luther  saw  the 
sadness  of  this  condition,  and  in  his  review  of  Aristotle,  indig- 
nantly exclaimed:  "If  Aristotle  had  not  been  of  the  flesh,  I 
should  not  hesitate  in  saying  that  he  was  of  the  devil.''  He 
had  no  patience  with  this  impious  desecration  of  God's  Holy 
Name  by  denying  the  divinity  of  Christ  and  the  salvation 
of  man. 


124  Christian  Persecutions. 

Luther  had  now  arrived  at  the  age  of  understanding.  He 
had  visited  Rome,  received  the  blessing  of  the  Pope,  declared 
anew  his  allegiance  to  the  Catholic  Church,  and  in  his  deep 
devotion  had  praised  God  for  these  unbounded  blessings.  He 
had  returned  to  Germany  filled  with  the  deepest  reverence, 
and  yet  he  became  the  most  violent  opponent  that  Rome  ever 
saw.  Reared  in  the  lap  of  pure  worship,  raised  to  manhood 
under  the  most  powerful  ties  of  brotherhood,  and  blessed  in 
the  sweet  communion  of  love,  he  3'et  renounced  his  Christian 
vows,  the  Church  of  his  devout  worship,  and  the  power  of 
Christ  in  Rome. 

Henry  VHI  denounced  the  Pope  and  estabHshed  the 
Church  of  England,  because  he  could  not  be  permitted  to 
follow  his  licentious  nature  by  breaking  marriage  vows. 
Napoleon  imprisoned  and  persecuted  Popes  to  extort  privi- 
leges by  which  he  could  become  the  head  of  both  Church  and 
State.  Voltaire,  Rousseau,  and  Aristotle  persecuted  Qiris- 
tianity,  not  by  deeds  of  violence,  but  by  the  sophistry  of  logic. 
They  drew  pictures  of  infidelity,  and  in  the  imagination  of 
their  inventive  genius  they  declared  there  was  no  God,  no 
Divine  inspiration,  no  salvation,  no  soul. 

But  what  can  we  say  of  Martin  Luther?  Was  he  evil  in 
mind  and  licentious  in  nature?  No!  No  priest  was  ever 
purer  in  heart  than  was  he.  Was  he  won  by  the  teachings  of 
philosophy?  His  answer  to  Aristotle  is  evidence  of  his  abhor- 
rence of  all  sophistry  and  all  inventions  of  reason.  Was  he 
like  Napoleon,  arbitrary  and  despotic?  No,  his  nature  was 
one  of  forgiveness,  compassion,  and  love.  Then  why,  may  we 
ask,  did  this  worthy,  pious  monk  renounce  his  Church,  his 


Martin  Luther.  125 

fellowship,  his  vows?  To  answer  this,  we  might  ask  in  return, 
why  does  sin  exist?  Why  was  man  made  to  break  the  cove- 
nants of  God?  Why  did  persecution  follow  Christ,  even  after 
his  death?  These  are  things  that  are  beyond  the  comprehen- 
sion of  man.  We  are  created,  we  live,  we  love,  we  die.  The 
inspiration  of  God  may  brighten  our  souls  to-day,  but  to-mor- 
row the  black  clouds  of  idolatry  may  shroud  our  being  in 
mystery. 

History  informs  us  that  it  was  not  the  intention  of  Luther 
to  renounce  the  Church,  but  to  ingraft  his  logic  into  it.  He 
had  become  a  great  teacher,  and  in  many  respects  a  philoso- 
pher— not  a  philosopher  in  the  denunciation  of  Christ,  but 
in  the  exposition  of  Christianity.  He  believed  he  had  formu- 
lated a  new  system  for  the  general  interpretation  of  Christian 
worship,  and  in  his  ninety-five  theses  he  would  revolutionize 
the  whole  Catholic  dogma.  These  arguments,  which  were 
advanced  by  Luther  to  sustain  his  views  of  worship,  were  in 
many  cases  directly  opposite  to  the  tenets  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  immediately  the  priest,  the  monk,  the  professor, 
the  philosopher  came  into  open  warfare  with  the  Church 
at  Rome. 

Luther's  denunciation  of  the  Catholic  religion  caused  a 
sensation,  and  spread  consternation  and  dismay.  Was  it  pos- 
sible for  this  learned  professor  to  openly  disavow  the  princi- 
ples upon  which  the  Church  rested,  and  which  he  had  repeat- 
edly vowed  in  the  most  solemn  manner  to  sustain  and  defend? 
Is  it  any  wonder  that  in  fourteen  days  this  startling  intelli- 
gence was  heralded  over  all  Germany,  and  in  two  months 
that  nearly  the  whole  of  Europe  should  read  of  Luther's 


126  Christian  Persecutions. 

Reformation?  These  ninety-five  theses,  the  product  of 
Luther's  reasoning,  were  printed  everywhere.  Tlie  audacity 
of  this  great  philosopher  to  openly  antagonize  the  Pope,  to 
set  up  a  new  doctrine  of  worship,  to  proclaim  his  tenets  to 
the  world,  was  indeed  a  remarkable  transformation. 

The  whole  life  of  Luther  was  one  of  startling  events.  His 
actions  were  the  outcome  of  impulse  rather  than  modest  sub- 
mission. His  determination  to  enter  the  monastery  was  sud- 
den and  unlooked-for.  His  vow  to  St.  Anna,  in  the  midst  of 
a  terrible  storm,  was  but  the  impetuous  demonstration  of  his 
being.  His  position  in  the  University  of  Wittenberg  was  an 
unlooked-for  promotion  in  his  line  of  aspirations.  His  ninety- 
five  arguments  against  the  Church  of  Rome  were  the  results 
of  the  teacher  and  not  of  the  priest  and  scholar.  He  was 
called  to  teach  theology,  and  he  would  invent  that  which 
would  please  him  most.  He  had  reasoned  and  he  must  sow 
his  thoughts.  He  saw  defects  and  must  wipe  out  the  whole 
structure.  He  believed  mankind  was  blind,  and  he  would 
open  their  eyes.  In  his  mind's  eyes  he  saw  food  for  imagina- 
tion, for  conception,  for  invention.  The  world  was  wicked, 
and  he  would  destroy  its  evil.  It  was  lost  in  worship,  and  he 
would  lead  in  reformation. 

While  Luther's  remarkable  utterances  were  read,  discussed 
and  denounced  by  many  priests,  monks,  and  professors,  yet 
the  Pope  was  slow  to  condemn,  Leo  X  was  free  to  grant  the 
widest  discussion  possible.  He  was  liberal-minded  in  his 
views  of  worship,  and  granted  to  all  the  right  to  think  and 
act.  Secretly  he  was  amused  at  the  controversy  between  what 
he  called  monastic  wrangling.     "Brother  Martin  has  a  very 


Martin  Luther.  127 

fine  head,  and  when  he  has  recovered  from  the  effect  of  too 
much  drink  the  illusion  will  be  dispelled."  He  could  not 
believe  so  ardent  a  Catholic,  and  one  so  bound  by  devotion, 
by  i^ledges  of  faith,  by  monastic  vows,  could  mean  antagonism 
against  the  Church. 

On  being  mildly  rebuked  by  Leo  X  for  the  public  expres- 
sion of  his  new  theology,  Luther  writes,  explaining  that,  as 
professor  of  the  University  of  Wittenberg,  it  became  his  duty 
to  teach  theology,  and  in  doing  so  he  had  exercised  only  the 
right  conferred  upon  him.  He  assured  the  Pope  that  there 
was  nothing  dangerous  in  his  line  of  teachings.  It  was  only 
the  dissemination  of  benefits  to  the  Church,  the  people,  and 
the  cause  of  Christianity.  In  closing,  he  says:  "Quicken, 
kill,  call,  recall,  approve,  reprove,  as  you  please.  I  will 
acknowledge  your  voice  as  that  of  Christ,  presiding  and 
speaking  in  you." 

Again  we  see  the  impulsiveness  of  Luther's  nature.  If  he 
had  offended,  he  w^ould  submit  to  whatever  chastisement  the 
Pope  might  inflict.  He  believed  in  the  Pope,  and  yet  he 
wrote  against  him.  He  believed  that  he  represented  Christ, 
yet  he  would  reason  against  it.  He  believed  that  the  authority 
of  the  Pope  must  be  recognized,  yet  he  taught  disobedience. 
He  believed  that  the  decisions  of  the  Pope  were  just,  yet  he 
taught  that  Christians  should  be  bound  by  their  conscience. 
With  him  the  Church  was  right  if  we  believed  in  its  teachings, 
but  wrong  if  we  saw  its  defects.  He  desired  to  be  in  com- 
munion with  Rome,  yet  he  persisted  in  uttering  his  own 
theology. 

When  Luther  was  called  for  trial  we  find  this  remarkable 


128  Christian  Persecutions. 

presentation  of  his  position:  "I,  Brother  Martin  Luther,  the 
Au^stinian,  protest  that  I  revere  and  follow  the  Holy  Roman 
Church  in  all  my  words  and  deeds,  present,  past,  and  future. 
If  anything  otherwise  has  been  said  I  wish  it  unsaid.  I  protest 
that  I  am  not  conscious  of  having  said  anything  contrary  to 
Holy  Scripture,  the  Church  Fathers,  the  papal  decrees,  or 
right  reason,  but  that  all  that  I  have  said  seems  to  me  to-day 
to  be  sound,  true,  and  Catholic.  Nevertheless,  as  I  am  not 
infallible,  I  have  submitted  myself,  and  now  submit  myself 
to  the  judgment  and  determination  of  the  lawful  holy  Church, 
and  to  all  of  better  mind.  Besides,  I  offer  either  here  or  else- 
where to  present  publicly  a  reason  for  my  statements.  But 
if  this  is  not  agreeable  to  Your  Reverence,  I  am  ready  either 
to  respond  in  writing  to  the  objections  urged  and  to  hear  the 
judgment  and  decision  of  the  doctors  of  the  renowned  Im- 
periial  Uniiversities  of  Basel,  Freiburg,  Louvain;  or,  if  they  be 
not  enough,  of  Paris  also,  the  parent  of  studies,  and  from 
antiquity  ever  the  most  Christian  University,  and  that  in 
which  theology  has  been  particularly  cultivated." 

This  statement  of  Luther  is  given  as  evidence  that  he 
believed  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  the  Pope  and  his  decrees,  but 
at  the  same  time  appeared  unconscious  of  having  written 
aught  that  was  antagonistic  to  them.  He  was  confronted  with 
forty-one  errors,  and  asked  to  recant.  These  errors  were 
statements  made  in  his  theses,  and  antagonized  the  laws  of 
the  Catholic  Church.  Luther  respomded  with  gross  insults  to 
the  Pope  and  in  his  address,  "To  the  Emperor  and  the  Nobility 
of  the  German  Nation,  on  the  Improvement  of  Christian 
Morals,"  formally  severed  himself  from  the  Church  by  reject- 


Martin  Luther.  129 

ing  the  hierarchy,  denying  the  priesthood,  calling  upon  the 
temporal  powers  to  rise  up  against  the  Pope,  deprive  him 
of  all  government,  abolish  the  taxes  for  his  support,  abrogate 
all  issues  of  censures,  permit  the  clergy  to  marry,  discard 
masses  for  the  dead,  discard  requirements  for  fasting,  absti- 
nence from  flesh  on  Friday,  and  other  important  tenets  of  the 
Catholic  Church.  This  address  was  published  throughout  all 
Germany,  and  the  financial  advantages  to  be  gained  by  the 
Princes  and  Nobility  won  many  ardent  supporters  for  a  com- 
plete severance  of  the  power  of  Rome. 

The  entire  continent  was  now  deeply  involved  in  the  dis- 
cussion of  this  great  controversy.  Would  the  Pope  excom- 
municate Luther  for  his  bold  attack  on  the  entire  system  and 
body  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church?  Was  Luther  a  heretic, 
and  was  he  advocating  a  doctrine  that  would  destroy  the 
Church?  These  were  questions  of  such  vast  importance  that 
the  world  waited  with  feverish  anxiety  for  the  outcome  of 
this  deadly  feud. 

On  the  15th  of  July,  1520,  the  Pope  issued  a  bull  com- 
manding Luther,  on  the  penalty  of  excommunication,  to 
renounce,  within  sixty  days,  his  ninety-five  theses,  and  other 
offensive  language  he  had  hurled  against  the  Pope  and  the 
Church.  Failing  to  meet  the  demand,  he  was  formally  excom- 
municated, and  in  February,  1521,  the  Pope  commanded  the 
Emperor  and  Princes  of  the  German  Empire  to  enforce  the 
law  against  heretics  who  had  been  excluded  from  the  com- 
munion of  the  Church  by  excommunication.  The  adherents 
of  Luther,  with  the  noted  Elector  Frederic,  asked  for  further 
examination,  and,  by  consent,  Luther  appeared  at  "The  Diet 


130  Christian  Persecutions. 

of  Worms,"  but,  as  before,  refused  to  renounce  even  one  state- 
ment previously  made.  "I  neither  believe  the  Pope  nor  the 
ecumenical  councils  alone,  since  it  is  quite  certain  and  mani- 
fest that  they  have  frequently  erred  and  contradicted  them- 
selves. My  conscience  is  captive  to  God's  Word.  I  neither 
can  nor  will  recall  anything.    God  help  me!    Amen." 

Thus  the  last  effort  to  counsel  with  Luther  proved  fruit- 
less, and  a  hopeless  separation  ensued.  Luther  returned  to 
Wittenberg,  where,  in  the  presence  of  the  students,  he  burned 
the  bull,  and  thus  declared  himself  forever  free  from  the  Pope, 
the  Church,  the  priesthood,  and  the  vows  of  faithful  adherence 
to  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  On  the  26th  of  May  he  was 
placed  under  the  ban  of  the  empire,  and  all  persons,  universi- 
ties, and  states  were  prohibited  from  affirming,  defending, 
preaching,  or  in  any  way,  publicly  or  privately,  expressly  or 
silently,  favoring  the  doctrine  of  Luther,  under  pain  of  excom- 
munication; and  wherever  his  writings  are  found  they  shall 
be  publicly  burned  and  denounced  as  heresies,  and,  as  far  as 
possible,  the  teachings  of  apostasy  shall  be  driven  from  the 
folds  of  the  Church. 

Luther,  in  a  spirit  of  retaliation,  replies  as  follows:  "Where 
art  thou,  most  excellent  Emperor  Charles?  and,  where  are 
you,  ye  Christian  kings  and  princes?  Can  you,  who  have 
made  oath  to  Christ  in  baptism,  endure  these  Tartarean 
declarations  of  Antichrist?  Where  are  you,  ye  bishops,  ye 
doctors,  ye  confessors  of  Christ's  name?  In  the  presence  of 
these  horrible  portents  of  the  Papists,  can  you  keep  silent? 
Thee,  Leo  X,  and  you,  ye  cardinals  of  Rome,  I  address  and 
to  your  face  I  freely  say:    If  this  bull  has  gone  forth  in  your 


Martin  Luther.  131 

name,  and  with  your  knowledge,  and  you  acknowledge  it,  I 
will  use  my  authority,  by  which,  in  baptism,  by  the  mercy  of 
God,  I  became  a  son  of  God,  and  co-heir  with  Christ,  and 
was  placed  upon  a  firm  rock,  which  dreads  neither  the  gates 
of  hell,  nor  heaven,  nor  earth.  I  exhort  and  admonish  you  in 
the  Lord,  to  repent,  and  to  make  an  end  to  these  diabolical 
blasphemies,  and  that  too,  speedily.  Unless  this  be  done, 
know  that  I,  with  all  that  worship  Christ,  will  regard  your  See 
possessed  of  Satan,  and  the  accursed  abode  of  Antichrist, 
whom  we  not  only  cannot  obey,  but  detest  and  execrate,  as 
the  chief  enemy  of  Christ.  For  this  declaration  we  are  ready, 
not  only  to  bear  with  joy  your  foolish  censures,  but  even  not 
to  ask  you  to  absolve  us  or  account  us  of  your  memberage; 
we  offer  ourselves  for  death,  that  you  may  satisfy  your  bloody 
tyranny.  But,  if  the  spirit  of  Christ  and  the  power  of  our 
faith  avails,  should  you  persevere  in  your  fury  after  this  has 
been  written,  we  condemn  you  and,  together  with  the  bull  and 
all  its  decretals,  deliver  you  to  Satan,  for  the  destruction  of 
your  flesh,  that  your  spirit  may  be  delivered  to  the  day  of 
the  Lord.  In  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord,  whom 
you  persecute.    Amen." 

We  almost  hold  our  breath  at  the  awful  denunciations  of 
the  apostate  monk.  He  almost  assumes  the  position  of  divine 
authority  when  he  declares  that  "I  am  a  son  of  God,  and 
co-heir  with  Christ,  and  was  placed  upon  a  firm  rock,  which 
dreads  neither  the  gates  of  hell,  nor  heaven,  nor  earth.''  And 
further,  "Unless  this  be  done,  know  that  I,  with  all  that  wor- 
ship, will  regard  your  See  possessed  of  Satan,  and  the  ac- 
cursed abode  of  Antichrist,  whom  we  not  only  cannot  obey, 
but  detest  and  execrate,  as  the  chief  enemy  of  Christ.'' 


132  Christian  Persecutions. 

We  now  see  the  man  in  the  fullness  of  a  dictator.  If  he 
could  not  place  his  philosophy  as  the  truths  of  the  Church 
he  would  call  down  the  wrath  of  Heaven  to  punish  those  who 
would  not  believe.  The  great  Church  of  Christ  had  erred. 
It  had  blasphemed  against  Luther.  The  co-heir  with  Christ 
had  been  excommunicated,  and  now  the  wrath  of  injured 
innocence  must  descend  in  flames  of  living  fire.  The  Pope 
must  be  possessed  of  Satan  and  the  accursed  abode  of  Anti- 
christ.    The  vials  of  wrath  must  be  poured  on  the  heads  of 

■^  those  who  could  not  believe  as  he  believed.  He  must  be  con- 
sidered infallible.  He- was  professor  of  theology  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Wittenberg,  and  had  studied  the  Scriptures  with  a 
deep  understanding.  It  was  not  what  the  Apostle  Peter  had 
bequeathed  to  the  Church,  but  what  Martin  Luther  had  con- 
cluded should  be  in.  He  was  to  be  the  authority,  the  law, 
the  gospel. 

Luther's  terrible  denunciation  of  the  Catholic  Church 
brought  dangers  to  his  person  by  infuriated  men,  and  to 
avoid  the  penalty  of  imprisonment  by  disobedience  to  the 
St^te  authority  he  was  forced  into  retirement,  and  for  a  year 
was  not  known  to  the  outside  world.     During  this  period  he 

\  translated  the  Bible  into  German,  fitting  it,  as  has  been 
charged,  to  suit  his  own  system  of  belief.  When  conscience 
reproached  him  he  laid  its  torments  to  the  persecutions  of  the 
Devil.  He  was  an  incessant  worker  in  his  vineyard  of  reform. 
Now  placed  upon  the  defensive  by  being  excommunicated,  he 
opened  his  rapid-fire  guns  in  almost  ceaseless  roar.  So  great 
was  his  productive  ability  that  in  five  months  he  had  written 
seven  different  publications  of  considerable  length,  all  teem- 


Martin  Luther.  133 

ing.with  denunciations  against  the  Pope  and  a  defense  of  his 
ninety-five  theses,  or  arguments,  against  the  Church. 

It  was  this  wonderful  abiHty  to  constantly  place  before 
the  German  people  something  new,  or  demonstrative,  that 
gained  their  admiration  and  confidence.  They  were  consider- 
ing this  ability  as  a  gift  from  God,  and  their  belief  became 
stronger  and  stronger  as  he  became  more  bold  and  defiant. 
Luther  knew  his  powers  of  exhortation,  and  everywhere 
sought  to  convince  the  people  that  his  belief,  his  theology,  was 
the  word  of  God.  So  strong  were  his  utterances  in  publica- 
tions and  in  speech  that  his  word  was  being  accepted  as  the 
true  gospel  of  worship. 

Again  does  it  become  necessary  to  quote  his  astounding 
utterances  against  the  Church.  On  December  10,  1520,  he 
posted  the  following  declaration  on  the  bulletin  board  of  the 
University  of  Wittenberg: 

"All  friends  of  evangelical  truth  are  invited  to  assemble 
about  nine  o'clock  at  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Cross  beyond 
the  city  wall.  There,  according  to  ancient  apostolic  usage, 
the  godless  books  of  the  Papal  constitutions  and  Scholastic 
Theology  will  be  burned,  inasmuch  as  the  presumption  of  the 
enemies  of  the  Gospel  has  advanced  to  such  a  degree  that 
they  have  cast  the  godly,  evangelical  books  of  Luther  into  the 
fire.  Let  all  earnest  students,  therefore,  appear  at  the  spec- 
tacle; for  it  is  now  time  when  Antichrist  must  be  exposed.'' 

At  the  appointed  hour  hundreds  of  students  gathered  at 
the  appointed  place  with  great  expectancy.  With  intense 
excitement  they  saw  Luther  build  a  pyre  upon  which  he 
placed  the  books  of  canonical  law  which  came  in  conflict  with 


134  Christian  Persecutions. 

his  theology,  and  as  the  fire  seized  these  sacred  laws  he  hurled 
into  the  flames,  with  great  violence,  the  bull  of  the  Pope, 
exclaiming:  "Because  thou  dost  trouble  the  Holy  One  of  the 
Lord,  may  eternal  fire  consume  thee!"  Before  the  books  were 
consumed  Luther  withdrew,  leaving  the  students  to  continue 
in  the  entire  destruction.  Left  to  their  own  diversion  they 
represented  the  affair  as  one  of  levity,  singing  funeral  hymns, 
marching  in  mock  procession,  preaching  farewell  sermons; 
and  to  continue  the  orgies  of  persecution,  they  prepared  a 
wagon,  with  floats,  marching  through  the  streets  of  the  city 
and  crying  that  Papal  authority  was  forever  burned  and 
destroyed.  To  continue  the  excitement  they  gathered  other 
books  of  the  Church,  and  with  renewed  processions  continued 
the  work  of  desecration.  All  day  long  the  rabble  gloried  in 
their  wild,  reckless  demonstrations  of  mockery.  They  drank 
to  the  health  of  Luther,  and  cried  against  the  decrees  of  the 
Pope.  They  cheered  for  one  and  groaned  for  the  other.  They 
praised  God  for  His  expositions  of  truth  through  Luther,  and 
spat  at  the  Pope  as  though  he  were  in  communion  with  Satan. 
So  strong  were  their  demonstrations  that  Luther,  the  next 
day,  censured  them  to  some  extent  for  their  levity.  The 
solemnity  of  the  occasion  was  broken  by  these  brutal  attacks, 
and  while  it  did  not  materially  affect  the  motives  of  Luther, 
yet  to  many  reasoning  minds  it  was  cruel  and  unjust,  and  had 
more  the  appearance  of  studied  revenge  than  the  progress  of 
Reformation. 

On  the  following  day  Luther  issued  the  following  edict: 
"If,  with  your  whole  heart,  you  do  not  separate  from  the 
dominion  of  the  Pope,  you  cannot  be  saved.     In  this  wicked 


Martin  Luther.  135 

world  I  would  rather  endure  all  perils  than,  by  silence,  burden 
my  conscience  with  the  account  I  must  render  to  God." 

Knowing-  that  a  terrible  storm  was  in  the  atmosphere,  and 
fearing  its  consequences,  he  again  writes  to  the  Pope:  "If 
Christ  loves  you  He  will  compel  you  to  recall  that  declaration, 
since  in  the"  bull  everything  is  condemned  that  you  have  here- 
tofore taught  concerning  the  mercy  of  God.  This  is  no  time 
for  fear,  but  for  raising-  the  alarm,  when  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  is  condemned,  dishonored  and  blasphemed.  I  exhort 
you,  therefore,  to  humble  your  pride  with  as  much  urgency 
as  you  exhort  me  to  humility;  for  you  have  too  much  humility 
as  I  have  too  much  pride.  But  it  is  a  serious  matter  to  see 
Christ  suffering.  If  heretofore  we  had  to  keep  silent  and  be 
humbled,  now,  when  throughout  the  world  our  Savior  is  made 
sport  of,  shall  we,  I  ask,  not  contend  for  Him?  Shall,  we  not, 
for  His  sake,  offer  our  necks?  My  Father,  the  danger  is 
greater  than  many  believe.  Here  the  Gospel  begins  to  have 
its  application:  'Whosoever  shall  confess  Me  before  men,  him 
will  I  confess  also  before  My  Father  which  is  in  heaven; 
but  whosoever  shall  deny  Me  before  men,  him  will  I  also  deny 
before  My  Father  which  is  in  heaven.' " 

In  another  letter  we  find  his  remorse  of  conscience  ever 
troubling  him  in  his  dreams:  "Last  night  I  had  a  dream  con- 
cerning you.  I  thought  you  were  leaving  me,  and  that  I  was 
most  bitterly  weeping;  but  I  was  pacified  when  you  said 
that  you  would  return." 

It  is  not  ■  necessary  to  explain  the  ficklemindedness  of 
Luther.  His  letters  and  violent  declarations  are  in  complete 
opposition.    To-day  he  declares  the  Church  is  the  foundation 


136  Christian  Persecutions. 

of  Antichrist,  and  to-morrow  appeals  to  the  Pope  to  come  to 
the  rescue  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  His  mind  was  in  one 
constant  state  of  fear.  In  his  passionate  appeals  to  the  people 
he  goes  to  the  extreme  limit  of  persecution,  and  in  the  reaction 
he  sues  for  mercy,  comfort,  and  consolation.  Had  these 
waverings  of  his  own  faith  been  known  to  his  followers,  the 
Reformation  of  Martin  Luther  might  have  never  been.  But 
in  the  magnetism  of  his  unexplained  nature  he  swayed  multi- 
tudes, molded  opinion,  installed  a  new  theology,  and  brought 
into  existence  the  foundation  of  all  future  Protestant  religions. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

MARTIN    LUTHER— Continued. 

\  X  TE  will  not  continue  with  a  minute  discussion  of  Luther's 
'  ^  course,  or  the  action  of  others.  He  was  almost  con- 
stantly engaged  in  writing  books  and  pamphlets  sustaining 
his  position  and  denouncing  the  Pope.  The  Edict  of  Worms 
had  condemned  him  as  an  outlaw  in  the  eyes  of  the  CathoHc 
Church,  and  demanded  punishment,  but,  having  the  powerful 
aid  of  several  princes  and  bishops,  he  was  not  arrested  and 
brought  to  justice.  The  German  people  were  so  astounded 
at  the  boldness  of  his  accusations  and  his  continuous  words 
of  defense,  that  they  were  unwilling  to  denounce  him  as  a 
heretic,  or  to  think  of  him  otherwise  than  as  one  commissioned 
from  God. 

To  break  monastic  vows  was  regarded  as  a  great  wrong 
against  the  Church,  against  obedience,  and  against  honor. 
But  Luther  determined  to  free  the  minds  of  others,  if  not  his 
own,  by  a  publication  reflecting  upon  these  vows  as  unholy, 
unchristian,  and  as  conflicting  with  the  fulfillment  of  the 
duties  he  owed  to  God.  In  his  pamphlet,  "Monastic  Vows," 
he  most  determinedly  points  out  the  errors  of  a  monk's  life, 
the  inconsistent  requirements  of  duty,  and  the  ungodly  perse- 
cution of  the  rights  of  man,  claiming  that  man  falsified  him- 
self when  he  vowed  himself  to  celibacy,  to  confession,  to 
penance,  and  to  the  holy  requirements  of  his  faith.  He  called 
upon  all  monks  to  renounce  their  obligations  and  their  alle- 

(10)  137 


138  Christian  Persecutions. 

giance  to  Rome.  Some  obeyed  this  call  and  were  married, 
while  others  refused  to  become  apostates,  and  remained  true 
to  the  worship  of  God  under  the  protection  of  the  Catholic 
Church. 

Luther,  himself,  followed  the  course  which  he  had  urged 
others  to  take,  and  in  the  year  1525,  at  the  age  of  forty-two 
years,  and  in  defiance  of  his  priestly  and  monastic  vows,  mar- 
ried a  Cistercian  nun,  named  Catherine  von  Bora.  This  act 
startled  and  surprised  Luther's  friends,  and  even  Erasmus, 
one  of  the  greatest  admirers  of  his  opposition  to  the  Roman 
Church,  scofifingly  writes:  "This  undertaking  of  Luther's 
appears  to  many  a  tragedy,  but  he  himself  must  hold  it  for  a 
comedy,  as  everything  ends  with  a  marriage." 

Luther  went  so  far  in  his  opposition  to  the  celibacy  of  the 
clergy,  and  to  monastic  vows,  as  to  declare  that  such  religious 
vows  were  against  the  teachings  of  Christ;  that  they  were 
tyrannical,  contrary  to  nature,  and  blasphemies  against  the 
laws  of  God.  He  held,  therefore,  that  the  law  of  clerical 
celibacy  should  be  abolished;  that  monastic  vows  should  not 
only  be  annulled,  but  made  severely  punishable,  and  all 
monasteries  leveled  to  the  ground. 

Besides  his  violent  opposition  to  monastic  institutions, 
he  just  as  violently  opposed  the  time-honored  sacrifice  of  the 
Mass,  and  wantonly  set  aside  every  feature  of  Catholic  ven- 
eration, or  invocation,  thus  forbidding  the  honoring  of  saints, 
a  reverence  for  pictures,  relics,  images,  or  any  representation 
that  carries  to  the  mind  of  the  true  Catholic  the  remembrance 
of  the  original. 

'Luther  was  often  asked  by  what  right  he  had   exalted 


Martin  Luther.  139 

himself  over  ;  pes,  bishops,  councils,  doctors,  and  fathers, 
and  set  himself  nj;  as  a  reformer?  If  he  had  received  a  com- 
mission from  God,  why  not  prove  it  by  the  manifestation  of 
miracles,  or  by  signs  and  wonders,  as  apostles  and  prophets, 
had  done  before  him?  While  he  did  not  respond  to  these 
questions,  yet  he  commanded  that  others  who  were  preach- 
ing a  different  reform  theology  from  his  must  prove  that  they 
were  commissioned  by  some  miraculous  power  of  God,  or 
be  condemned  for  heresy. 

Luther's  controversial  power  consisted  more  in  his  bold- 
ness of  declaration  than  soundness  of  argument  in  his  defense. 
As  he  was  eloquent  in  making  his  assertions  and  positive  in 
every  statement  uttered,  he  easily  gave  his  opinions  the  force 
of  absolute  facts.  He  would  not  admit  the  possibility  of  being 
wrong,  and  as  he  placed  his  hand  upon  the  Bible,  he  declared 
that  this  book  was  his  guide,  and  from  it  he  drew  his  wisdom 
and  his  exposition  of  faith.  For  him  there  was  no  require- 
ment of  miracles,  signs  or  wonders.  The  power  of  under- 
standing and  the  comprehension  of  the  Word  of  God  were 
all-sufficient. 

The  boldness  of  his  assertions  gave  to  him  the  seeming 
appearance  of  being  in  the  right,  and  when  it  was  shown 
that  his  teachings  were  purely  arbitrary  and  in  direct  opposi- 
tion to  councils  and  fathers,  he  would  respond  that  councils 
and  fathers  were  of  the  earth  earthy,  but  that  his  teachings 
were  from  the  Word  of  God,  the  Holy  Scripture,  the  Un- 
deniable Truth.  If  he  were  questioned  as  to  his  right 
understanding  of  the  Divine  Word,  and  told  that  his  inter- 
pretation of  it  was  against  reason,  he  was  ready  to  reply  that 


/ 


140  Christian  Persecutions. 

it  was  the  Devil  that  misled  the  Romish  priests  in  measuring 
the  Word  of  God  by  reason,  and  that  reason,  was  a  beast 
whom  the  Christian  was,  on  the  contrary,  bound  to  denounce 
•and  destroy.  Reason,  he  said,  was  the  Atheistic  doctrine  of 
denial  of  Divine  Authority.  It  was  the  Devil  clothed  in 
sophistry,  and  he  who  listens  to  it  may  depart  from  the  true 
light  of  God. 

If,  however,  the  words  in  question  were  so  clearly  ex- 
pressed that  he  could  not  deny  that  his  own  doctrine  did 
not  agree  with  them,  he  would  appeal  from  the  text  to  Christ, 
and  say,  that  as  he  had  the  Lord  and  Master  of  the  Scripture 
on  his  side  he  did  not  need  to  inquire  into  every  passage  by 
itself;  or  else,  to  sustain  his  doctrine,  he  would  change  the 
passage  so  as  to  conform  to  his  teachings.  Thus,  for  instance, 
in  Romans  iii,  28,  he  allowed  himself  to  interpolate  the  word 
"alone"  into  the  text,  in  order  to  support  his  doctrine  that 
faith  "alone"  sufficed  for  justification.  When  this  error  was 
objected  to  he  replied:  Should  any  Papist  be  wishing  to  get 
rid  of  that  word  "alone"  tell  him  at  once  that  Doctor  Martin 
Luther  will  have  it  there,  and  he  says,  "a  Papist  is  just  the 
same  thing  as  an  ass."  , 

Thus  we  find  that  Luther,  in  the  translation  of  his  Bible 
did,  in  numerous  places,  change  the  real  meaning  so  as  to 
conform  to  his  ideas  of  teaching.  In  his  theology  he  believed 
that  the  exposition  of  Divine  Truth  should  convey  such  and 
such  impressions,  and  in  his  exalted  wisdom  it  was  eminently 
proper  to  either  drop  out  or  interpolate  words,  according  as 
it  seemed  to  accord  with  his  understanding. 

In  a  letter  to  his  father  we  find  that  Luther  desires  to 


Martin  Luther.  141 

explain  how  and  why  he  has  broken  faith,  and  writes:  "I 
send  this  book,  therefore,  to  you,  in  order  that  you  may  see 
by  what  signs  and  power  Christ  now  has  freed  me  from  my 
monastic  vow,  and  given  me  such  hberty  that,  although  I 
have  been  made  the  servant  of  all,  yet  I  am  subject  to  no 
one  but  to  Him  alone.  For  He  is  my  immediate  Bishop, 
Abbot,  Prior,  Lord,  Father,  and  Master.  None  other  do 
I  know.'' 

In  one  of  his  exhortations  we  find  Luther  entreating  his 
brethren  to  give  up  the  services  of  Mass.  "Dear  sirs,  abandon 
the  Mass.  Your  way  of  celebrating  it  is  not  right,  and  you 
are  sinning  and  provoking  God's  wrath."  It  was  not  until 
152-i  that  the  people  of  Wittenberg  were  induced  to  give  up 
the  long-established  services  of  Mass.  It  was  a  great  struggle 
of  conscience,  but  the  logic  of  this  man  prevailed,  and  he  won 
control,  and  the  cherished  form  of  worship  was  abandoned. 

Among  the  most  fiery  and  vehement  opposers  of  Luther 
and  his  doctrine,  was  Flenry  VIII,  King  of  England,  who 
afterwards  became  the  Pope's  bitterest  foe.  Henry,  in  writ- 
ing to  the  Pope,  declares  that  Luther  must  be  punished  for 
disobedience,  heresy,  and  the  desecration  of  God's  Holy 
Church,  Measures  must  be  taken  to  terminate  the  propaga- 
tion oT  Lutheranism,  which  poisoned  the  mind  and  meant 
spiritual  death.  That  Luther  was  possessed  of  the  Devil,  and 
his  teachings  were  more  pernicious  than  were  all  the  Turks, 
Saracens,  and  unbelievers  combined.  By  his  urgent  appeals 
to  stamp  out  the  heresy,  and  punish  the  offender,  Henry  was 
given  the  title  of  "Defender  of  the  Faith." 

The  spread  of  Luther's  Reformation  was  not  exactly  in 


142  Christian  Persecutions. 

the  line  of  his  expectation  and  wishes.  Other  reformers 
appeared  upon  the  field,  and,  in  pointing  out  the  errors  of 
Luther,  sought  to  establish  a  religion  of  their  own.  Promi- 
nent among  these  new  prophets  were  Zwickau,  John  Calvin, 
and  Zwingli.  Zwickau  declared  that  all  knowledge  should  be 
founded  upon  and  confined  to  the  Bible,  schools  should  be 
abolished,  and  all  study  restricted  to  the  teachings  of  Christ. 
In  Switzerland  there  arose  a  new  order  called  Zwinglians, 
who  differed  with  Luther  on  many  points  of  doctrine,  and 
became  powerful  in  many  localities.  Then  we  find  that  John 
Calvin,  a  Frenchman  by  birth,  who  was  forced  to  leave 
France,  established  another  powerful  branch  of  opposition  to 
Martin  Luther  at  Geneva.  Then  followed  subdivision  after 
subdivision,  until  the  number  of  denominations  and  churches 
\  became  greater  and  greater,  and  even  to  this  day  are  being 
remodeled,  revamped,  and  placed  on  new  foundations  of  faith. 
A  new  feature  now  arises  upon  the  horizon  of  the  fame  of 
Luther  and  his  co-laborers  in  the  field  of  reformation.  The 
peasant  people  were  everywhere  being  aroused  against  popes, 
princes,  nobility,  wealth,  religion,  and  all  society.  They  were 
having  too  much  agitation,,  too  much  controversy,  too  much 
religion.  Luther  had  broken  the  restraint  placed  upon  them 
by  the  Catholic  Church,  and  the  wild  terrors  of  war  were  soon 
raging.  This  war  is  known  in  history  as  "The  Peasants' 
War.''  The  peasants  were  aroused  to  madness  by  the  oppres- 
sion of  their  feudal  lords,  and  through  the  religious  excite- 
ment that  filled  the  air,  they  saw  their  wrongs  multiplied,  their 
oppression  intensified  and  their  way  made  clear  to  open  revolt. 
They  saw  Luther  denounce  the  Pope,  denounce  the  Church, 


Martin  Luther.  143 

and  denounce  their  mode  of  worship.  They  saw  and  felt  these 
influences  and  having  broken  their  allegiance  to  the  Church 
of  Rome,  were  beyond  restraint.  Their  ravages  were  most 
terrible  and  destructive.  They  reviled  the  priests,  sacked  and 
burned  castles  and  monasteries,  destroyed  images  of  Christ 
and  the  Virgin  Mary,  jeered  at  the  worship  of  God,  com- 
mitted desperate  crimes  against  women  and  children,  and  in 
the  mad  frenzy  of  uncontrolled  rage  they  equaled  the  Reign 
of  Terror  in  the  days  of  Robespierre.  For  nearly  a  year  this 
desperate  carnage  of  death,  fire,  and  destruction,  swept  the 
provinces  of  Germany.  During  this  period  of  Reformation 
nearly  one  hundred  thousand  lives  had  been  sacrificed,  a 
large  part  of  Southerfi  Germany  made  desolate,  and  the 
peasants  distracted  in  religion,  faith,  and  truth.  They  had 
been  conquered,  but  were  embittered  against  God  and  man. 
The  quiet  of  previous  years  had  been  turned  into  anarchy, 
bloodshed,  and  ruin.  The  gospel  of  Christ  was  reviled,  hated, 
and  trampled  upon,  and  although  Luther  professed  horror 
at  the  terrible  strife,  yet  many  of  his  religious  co-partners  were 
leaders  in  this  great  insurrection.  History  asserts  that  this  ^ 
war  was  instituted  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  the  Church  of 
Rome,  persecuting  Catholics,  and  establishing  a  reform  gov- 
ernment in  both  Church  and  State,  and  in  this  charge  Martin 
Luther  is  held  responsible  just  in  proportion  as  his  influence 
stirred  the  people  from  a  peaceful  submission  to  becoming  the 
outlawed  rebels  of  the  empire.  ' 

After  this  rebellion  another  attempt  was  made  by  the 
Church  of  Rome  to  pacify  the  provinces  of  Germany  and 
establish  mutual  relations  between  them  and  the  Pope.    The 


144  Christian  Persecutions. 

Second  Diet  of  Spires  was  called  to  discuss  the  matter,  and 
to  seek  an  understanding,  if  possible.  This  body  issued  an 
order  to  all  Catholics,  and  to  all  the  people,  not  to  promote 
the  spread  of  these  new  doctrines  until  there  had  been  a  thor- 
ough examination  of  the  various  forms  and  principles  of  wor- 
ship and  a  decision  made  in  regard  to  them.  But  the  revolt 
of  seven  of  the  German  princes  and  a  large  number  of  cities 
in  the  empire  was  the  final  downfall  of  the  direct  influence  of 
the  Roman  Church  in  these  provinces.  Those  in  opposition 
to  the  edict  of  the  Second  Diet  of  Spires  issued  a  formal 
protest  against  the  action  of  the  Diet,  and  because  of  this 
protest,  the  reformers  were  called  from  this  time  on  by  the 
name  of  Protestants. 

The  great  revolt  against  the  Church  of  Rome  seemed  to 
have  almost  circled  the  world.  Nearly  all  of  Europe,  except 
Spain  and  Italy,  had  denounced  the  Catholic  Church,  and 
even  in  these  countries  it  was  strongly  assailed  with  these 
new  dogmas  of  Reformation,  and  but  for  causes  arising  which 
checked  the  advance  of  Protestantism,  the  revolt  from  Rome 
would  have  become  universal,  and  the  old  ecclesiastical  empire 
would  have  been  broken  up.  But  this  was  not  to  be  the 
destiny  of  the  Church.  Its  mission  on  earth  had  not  been 
filled,  and  again  it  seems  as  though  God  stayed  the  hand  of 
Reformation  and  turned  the  tide  of  revolt  from  a  triumphant 
victory  to  one  of  dissensions  and  counter-reform.  These 
causes  may  be  considered  as:  Divisions  among  the  Protest- 
ants, Catholic  counter-reform,  and  the  rise  of  the  Order  of  the 
Jesuits.  The  divisions  among  the  Protestants  have  already 
been    mentioned.     The    Catholic    Counter-Reform    was    the 


Martin  Luther.  •  145 

active  working  of  Catholics  in  places  where  the  Protestants 
were  being  broken  up  by  rival  sects,  and  their  faith  in  Refor- 
mation shaken.  Such  Protestants  were  urged  to  return  to 
the  original  Church  of  their  faith,  with  assurances  that  the 
Church  of  Rome  was  meeting  the  wants  of  the  people  by 
establishing  new  features  of  government  between  the  Church 
and  the  State.  Also,  that  the  doctrines  of  its  faith  were  so 
clearly  expressed  that  all  could  understand.  These  assur- 
ances won  many  who  were  really  at  sea  as  regards  their 
religious  worship.  They  desired  some  excuse  for  returning. 
As  the  Reformers  themselves  were  seeking  to  undermine 
each  other,  it  was  easy  to  resist  their  influence  and  return 
to  the  Catholic  faith. 

The  Order  of  Jesuits,  or  Society  of  Jesus,  was  a  most 
powerful  agent  in  assisting  in  the  re-establishment  of  the 
authority  of  the  Pope.  The  founder  of  this  society  was  St. 
Ignatius  Loyola,  a  native  of  Spain,  who  conceived  the  idea 
of  organizing  a  society  for  the  purpose  of  defending  the  Cath- 
olic Church  in  all  the  kingdoms  of  Europe,  where  Protestant 
influence  had  become  a  powerful  factor,  and  threatened  to 
overthrow,  not  only  the  religious  creed,  but  its  power  of 
State  government.  This  Society  of  Jesus  established  branch 
societies  everywhere,  and  by  its  powerful  influence,  energy, 
and  devotion,  it  quietly  and  secretly  counteracted  the  zeal  and 
activity  of  the  reformers.  They  soon  became  thoroughly 
organized,  and  not  a  movement  of  Protestant  opposition  was 
made,  but  the  whole  line  of  Catholic  sentinels  was  posted  and 
efforts  made  to  defeat  them.  They  became  thoroughly  dis- 
ciplined in  their  mission,  were  ever  watchful,  and  a  constant 


146  Christian  Persecutions. 

and  uncompromising  foe  to  the  enemies  of  the  Church.  Not 
only  were  they  sentinels  and  watchdogs  of  Europe,  but  they 
organized  a  system  of  missions  in  other  countries.  They 
saw  the  necessity  of  constant  work  at  home  and  abroad,  and  in 
their  zeal  and  fidelity  to  their  Christian  worship,  they  spread 
Christianity  in  all  the  countries  of  India,  Japan,  the  islands 
of  the  oceans,  and  finally  traversed  the  great  continent  of 
America.  To  these  earnest  patriots  of  CathoHc  faitli  may  be 
traced  much  of  the  reaction  which  soon  followed  to  the  great 
benefit  of  the  present  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

At  the  time  of  the  organization  of  the  Jesuits,  Protestant 
influence  was  dominant  in  the  countries  of  Germany,  Den- 
mark, Norway,  Sweden,  England,  Scotland,  and  large  por- 
tions of  Switzerland  and  the  Netherlands,  while  the  Church 
of  Rome  held  only  the  countries  of  France,  Spain,  Italy,  and 
Ireland.  The  dissensions  of  the  now  numerous  sects  of 
Protestants,  the  Catholic  Counter-Reform,  the  Order  of 
Jesuits,  and  the  enforcement  of  the  laws  against  heresy,  com- 
bined to  hold  the  countries  of  France,  Spain,  Italy  and  Ire- 
land, while  in  all  the  other  countries  of  the  world  it  com- 
menced a  new  organization,  stronger,  more  perfect  in  dis- 
cipline, more  faithful  in  precepts,  and  more  enduring.  It  had 
been  a  great  lesson  to  the  Church,  and  henceforth  it  would 
work,  not  by  the  power  of  princes  and  nobles,  but  by  the 
Word  of  God,  the  power  of  Christ,  and  the  purity  of  the 
Virgin  Mary.  It  was  a  lesson  dearly  bought,  but  one  made 
necessary  to  purify  the  Church,  to  expand  the  gospel,  and  to 
teach  Christian  worship  beyond  the  confines  of  Europe.  God 
had  commanded  that  His  Word  should  be  preached  in  all  the 


Martin  Luther.  147 

countries  of  the  earth.  The  Church  had  established  itself  in 
Europe.  It  had  become  powerful  in  the  government  of  king- 
doms, empires,  and  principalities,  and  in  its  magnificent 
greatness  had  left  the  great  pagan  world  to  its  own  idolatry. 
The  lessons  of  self-denial  must  be  taught  anew;  the  Cruci- 
fixion of  Christ  must  become  nearer  and  dearer;  the  virtue  of 
true  worship  must  be  better  appreciated;  the  zeal,  fidelity,  and 
endurance  of  true  loyalty  must  be  tested,  and  a  new  light  in 
the  service  of  God  must  brig-hten  the  earth.  Tliese  were 
lessons  that  must  be  observed  in  the  great  expansion  of 
Truth.  They  were  the  lessons  of  Christ  as  he  taught  the 
multitudes  in  his  earthly  life.  They  were  the  lessons  taught 
by  the  Apostle  Peter  in  the  great  persecution  of  Rome,  and 
they  are  the  lessons  of  to-dav,  which  only  grow  brighter 
and  brighter  as  Christian  enlightenment  encircles  the  globe. 

Among  the  most  worthy  Jesuits  who  taught  Christianity 
in  foreign  lands  was  the  distinguished  Francis  Xavier,  known 
as  the  Apostle  of  the  Indies.  His  labors  in  India,  Japan, 
and  other,  countries  of  the  East,  were  marked  by  the  wonder- 
ful success  of  his  missions.  His  earnest  work  developed  a 
Christian  influence  that  can  never  die.  He  established  the 
Gospel  of  worship  wdiere  the  light  of  Christianity  was  never 
seen  before.  The  name  of  Francis  Xavier  has  ever  been 
revered  for  his  patient  endurance,  his  earnest  and  never- 
complaining  labor,  and  his  faithful  observance  of  Christian 
duties.  He  became  known  throughout  India  as  a  man  of 
truth  and  love,  a  man  of  sympathy  and  tenderness,  a  man 
of  holy  purity,  a  man  whose  life  was  devoted  to  the  Christian 
advancement  of  his  fellow  creatures. 


-A 


148  Ohkistian  Persecutions. 

Francis  Xavier  was  not  alone  in  the  work  of  spreading 
the  gospel  of  Christ.  Volumes  could  be  written  of  the  cheerful 
sacrifice  of  life  and  the  unstinted  application  of  ability  of  hun- 
dreds of  holy  men,  who  have  braved  the  dangers  of  exploration 
and  the  dangers  of  savage  warfare.  In  the  early  days  of 
America  they  taught  the  savage  tribes  of  New  England,  of 
the  Great  Mississippi  Valley,  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  in  the 

\  home  of  the  Montezumas.  In  history  these  names  are  credited 
with  opening  the  way  of  civilization,  of  preparing  the  gates 
of  immigration,  and  soothing  the  hatred  of  Indian  discontent. 
Among  these  men  we  find  the  ever-to-be-remembered  names 
of  Fathers  Hennepin,  La  Salle,  Johet,  and  Marquette.  These 
men  were  missionaries  and  explorers  of  the  Northern  Lakes, 
and  the  Mississippi  Valley.  They  founded  many  missions 
among  the  Indians  and  opened  trade  for  the  benefit  of  the 
world. 

But  we  will  return  to  the  Church  of  Rome.  This  separa- 
tion, this  Reformation,  was  a  tearing  down  of  the  relations 
between  Church  and  State.  It  was  a  transfer  of  the  making  of 
ecclesiastical  laws  to  the  States  themselves,  and  in  the  re- 
cstablishment  of  true  worship  the  Church  sought  only  to 
spiritually  improve  the  mind,  to  teach  obedience  to  God's 
Laws,  and  sustain  purity,  truth,  and  devotion.  The  loss  of 
temporal  power  in  no  wise  crushed  the  power  and  glory  of 

"^  the  Church,  which  is  coeval  with  the  beginning  of  Christian- 
ity, and  will  be  sustained  until  the  end  of  time. 

The  greatest  compliment  which  has  ever  been  bestowed 
upon  the  Church  was  by  Macaulav,  the  great  English  his- 
torian, when,  in  discussing  the  loss  of  temporal  power,  he 


Martin  Luther.  149 

says:  "ThePapacy  still  remains,  not  a  mere  antique,  but 
full  of  life  and  youthful  vigor.  The  Pope  is  to-day  the 
supreme  Head  of  a  Church  that  was  great  and  respected 
before  Saxon  had  set  foot  on  Britain,  before  the  Frank  had  "^ 
passed  the  Rhine,  when  Grecian  eloquence  still  flourished  in 
Antioch,  when  idols  were  still  worshiped  in  the  temple  of 
Mecca.  And  she  may  still  exist  in  undiminished  vigor  when 
some  traveler  from  New  Zealand  shall,  in  the  midst  of  a  vast 
solitude,  take  his  stand  on  a  broken  arch  of  London  Bridge  to 
sketch  the  ruins  of  St.  Paul's." 

What  a  tribute  to  the  glory  and  endurance  of  the  Church  y 

of  St.  Peter.  He  sees  its  existence  when  empires  and  nations 
have  passed  away;  when  the  workshop  of  life  is  lost  in  unbro- 
ken silence;  when  the  marts  of  commerce  and  trade  are  stilled 
in  the  wilderness  of  desolation;  when  art  and  science  are  for- 
gotten; when  a  vast  solitude  sweeps  the  proud  shores  of  Old 
England;  when  the  grand  stmcture  of  St.  Paul  shall  have 
mouldered  into  ruins;  and  even  then  she  will  exist  in  un- 
diminished wisdom  and  vigor,  until  man  has  gone  to  his  long 
sleep,  and  time  shall  be  no  more. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

JOHN  CALVIN.     ULRIC  ZWINGLI. 

OUTSIDE  of  Martin  Luther  and  Henry  VIH,  John  Cal- 
vin was  the  most  noted  character  in  the  days  of  the 
Reformation.  The  nature  of  John  Calvin  was  aristocratic, 
rather  than  democratic.  He  taught  reform  in  laws  as  well  as 
religion,  but  in  practice  governed  with  absolute  despotism. 
He  was  dictatorial,  demanding  the  observance  of  his  views, 
and  harsh  in  the  denimciation  of  opposition.  He  obstinately 
adhered  to  his  own  opinions,  but  did  not  hesitate  to  modify 
them  if  by  so  doing  he  could  gain  advantage.  He  introduced 
the  gospel  of  his  faith  by  despotism,  not  by  conversion.  To 
disobey  meant  punishment.  Civil  officers  were  instructed  to 
suppress  every  Catholjc  manifestation,  and  to  destroy  every 
"unnecessary"  practice  of  faith.  He  was  violently  opposed 
to  the  observance  of  abstinence  from  eating  meat  on  Friday, 
and  appointed  detectives  to  go  among  the  people  and  report 
their  observation.  A  peasant  who  did  not  eat  meat  on  Friday 
was  arrested  for  the  violation  of  law  and  cast  into  prison. 
The  views  of  Calvin  towards  Catholics  was  one  of  malicious 
hatred.  He  declared  that  all  Catholic  kings,  princes,  rulers, 
and  those  engaged  in  government  and  teaching  were  the 
enemies  of  God,  and  should  be  removed.  Like  Luther,  he 
could  see  only  his  own  theolog}'-,  and  while  Luther  denounced 
him  as  a  heretic,  yet  Calvin  pitied  him  for  his  ignorance. 
His  language  was  often  abusive,  and  he  was  filled  with  deep 

.150 


John  Calvin.    Ulric  ZwincxLi.  151 

contempt,  with  harshness,  and  bitterness.  He  was  an  im- 
placable enemy  of  the  Catholic  Church  and  constantly  sought 
to  denounce  the  Pope.  In  France  he  was  driven  from  place 
to  place  because  of  his  insolence  to  Church  authority,  and 
his  rabid  utterances  finally  compelled  him  to  leave  his  native 
State  to  avoid  arrest  and  punishment. 

John  Calvin  was  born  in  Noyon,  France,  July  10,  1509, 
He  became  an  early  advocate  of  Reformation,  and  was  so 
intemperate  in  his  assaults  against  Catholics  that  he  was 
obliged  to  leave  the  country.  In  1535  he  went  to  Switzerland, 
where  he  prepared  a  new  code  of  worship.  Like  Martin 
Luther,  he  had  been  a  priest  and  studied  theology,  and  in  the 
zeal  for  furthering  his  own  philosophy  he  founded  the  Cal- 
vinistic  doctrine  of  faith.  At  Ferrara  he  taught  the  Duchess 
Renata,  who  became  an  ardent  advocate  of  Calvin  and  ren- 
dered much  assistance  in  the  spreading  of  his  teachings. 

Before  continuing  with  the  history  of  John  Calvin,  we  will 
return  to  the  political  and  religious  history  of  Switzerland  at 
the  time  he  first  appears  upon  the  stage  of  action.  Switzer- 
land was  being  aroused  by  other  would-be  reformers  and 
Calvin  found  a  fertile  soil  in  which  to  sow  his  seeds  of  refor- 
mation. Previous  to  the  appearance  of  John  Calvin  and 
Ulric  Zwingli  the  people  of  Switzerland  were  strongly  Cath- 
olic, but  by  the  exhortations  of  Zwingli  this  new  sect,  called 
Zwinglianism,  had  obtained  a  foothold  in  several  cantons 
and  was  made  the  law  of  these  commonwealths.  The  pro- 
posed creed  was  new  to  the  people,  somewliat  novel  in  its 
departure,  and  pleasing  in  its  promises  of  universal  faith. 
It  declared  the  Catholic  religion  an  unnecessary  burden,  and 


152  Christian  Persecutions. 

a  power  over  civil  authority  which  should  be  abolished.  The 
followers  of  Zwingli  were  shrewd  in  their  management,  and 
sought  to  please  through  the  advancement  of  that  most  likely 
to  give  satisfaction.  It  could  picture  defects  and  at  the  same 
time  show  by  exhortation  that  the  "true  gospel"  ^vas  the 
gospel  of  Reformation. 

ULRIC  ZWINGLI. 

In  1518  the  story  of  Martin  Luther's  open  hostility  to  the 
Catholic  Church  by  attaching  his  famous  ninety-five  theses 
to  the  church  door  of  Wittenberg,  reached  Switzerland,  and 
Zwingli,  who  had  been  studying  theology,  immediately  saw 
an  opportunity  to  attract  attention  by  advocating  a  special 
reform  of  his  invention.  He  was  ambitious,  active,  and  ener- 
getic in  his  proposed  line  of  action.  He  saw  his  opportunity 
and  deliberately^  prepared  his  translation  of  faith  and  advo- 
cated the  establishment  of  a  new  creed.  Being  a  man  ot 
wonderful  power  of  expression,  in  both  written  and  spoken 
language,  he  deftly  prepared  a  doctrine  of  worship  after  the 
general  principles  of  Martin  Luther,  but  dififering  in  some 
minor  matters. 

Having  prepared  his  innovations,  he  proceeded  to  intro- 
duce them  in  the  great  church  of  Zurich,  where  he  had  al- 
ready become  famous  for  his  great  learning  and  abiHty.  This 
new  reformation,  coming  from  the  source  it  did,  was  received 
with  marked  attention,  and  although  the  people  were  some- 
what skeptical  as  to  Zwingli  being  a  proper  person  to  present 
a  new  religion,  on  account  of  the  character  of  his  private 
life,  yet  they  listened  with  interest,  and  when,  in  1519,  Bern- 


Ulric  Zwingli.  153 

hardin  Sampson  appeared  and  publicly  preached  indulgences, 
he  attacked  the  Franciscan  priest  with  all  the  power  of  his 
eloquence,  denouncing  the  practice  as  beneath  Church  rights 
and  its  relation  to  humanity.  He  denounced  the  doctrine  as 
unchristian  and  unholy.  His  powerful  protests  were  received 
with  favor  among  the  authorities,  and  in  1520  the  Great  Coun- 
cil of  Zurich  became  so  enamored  with  his  doctrine  that  they 
issued  a  decree  demanding  that  all  the  priests  of  the  canton 
should  preach  only  such  doctrine  as  they  could  prove  by  the 
Bible.  Zwingli  had  said  the  principal  tenets  of  the  Catholic 
Church  were  not  founded  on  the  Bible,  and  now,  to  be  safe 
in  their  instructions,  the  authorities  demanded  an  exposition 
of  faith  only  in  accordance  with  what  could  be  proved  by  the 
Holy  Scriptures.  They  were  not  positive  that  Zwingli  was 
correct  and  the  Catholic  religion  wrong,  but  if  they  were 
confined  to  the  Word  of  God  there  could  be  no  mistake.  They 
believed  in  the  exhortation  of  this  reformer,  but  would  leave 
themselves  on  a  sure  footing  by  demanding  a  proof  through 
the  words  of  the  Bible. 

Bishop  Constance  sought  to  oppose  this  heresy,  but  was 
met  with  determined  resistance,  and  his  efforts  were  in  vain. 
The  doctrine  was  something  new  and  unique,  and  being  freed 
from  moneyed  exactions  the  people  were  attracted  by  its 
seeming  popularity,  and  preferred  its  easy  disposition  of 
Church  regulations.  It  demanded  less  Church  restrictions  and 
more  freedom  of  action.  It  was  to  be  more  the  government 
of  each  individual  than  the  obedience  to  a  powerful  head. 
It  was  strict  in  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  but  not  in  the 

exactions  of  the  Church.     It  placed  the  code  of  government 
(11) 


154  Christian  Persecutions. 

as  a  law  of  each  community,  and  when  this  was  fulfilled  there 
was  no  other  obligation  to  meet. 

In  1522,  Zwingli,  who  had  disgraced  his  private  life, 
demanded  that  the  bishop  and  those  in  authority  should  per- 
mit the  clergy  to  marry.  He  saw  that  his  teachings  of  morals 
were  not  in  accordance  with  his  known  conduct,  and  to  cover 
his  sins  he  demanded  the  right  of  marriage  for  the  priests. 

On  January  23,  1523,  Pope  Adrian  VI  wrote  a  very  kind 
and  affectionate  letter  to  Zwingli  admonishing  him  of  his 
evil  conduct,  and  earnestly  beseeched  him  to  renounce  his 
public  utterances,  and  become  an  honest,  upright,  and  obe- 
dient priest.  He  pointed  out  the  errors  of  his  ways,  his  life 
of  moral  dissipation,  and  his  disobedience  of  God's  laws  and 
the  principles  of  the  Church.  The  letter  was  one  of  advice 
and  entreaty.  The  Pope  was  considerate  in  his  denunciation 
of  wrong,  his  explanation  of  errors,  and  his  appeal  to  Chris- 
tian virtue.  He  understood  the  fiery  nature  of  this  priest 
reformer  and  sought  to  subdue  his  ambition  by  a  personal 
appeal  to  his  manhood,  his  vows,  and  his  duty  to  the  Church 
and  obedience  to  those  who  were  in  authority.  But  alas!  the 
kindness  of  the  Pope  was  bestowed  upon  a  stubborn  and 
unappreciative  mind. 

The  letter  was  received  with  ill-favor.  Zwingli  exhibited 
extreme  folly  in  denouncing  the  entreaty  in  harsh  and  abusive 
language.  The  Pope  had  sought,  through  the  mildest  means 
possible,  to  convince  him  of  his  unjust  denunciation,  and  as 
man  should  treat  man,  he  was  entitled  decent  respect. 
Instead  of  creating  thought  and  consideration,  tue  disobedient 
priest  was  more  determined  than  ever  to  denounce  the  Pope 


Ulric  Zwinglt.  155 

and  expand  his  own  theology.  His  theories  of  religion  must 
not  be  questioned,  even  by  the  Church,  against  which  he 
threw  his  venomous  declarations.  It  was  no  longer.  Am  I 
right?  but.  How  can  I  overthrow  the  power  of  the  Pope  and 
establish  my  creed? 

On  January  29,  1523,  a  conference  was  held  in  Zurich  to 
consider  the  differences  existing  between  the  Pope  and 
Zwingli,  which  now  had  become  a  positive  open  revolt.  This 
conference  must  decide  between  these  contending  forces.  At 
this  meeting  Zwingli  presented  his  sixty-five  theses  in  defense 
of  his  position  and  demanded  a  careful  analysis  of  them. 
These  theses  were  so  complicated  the  conference  was  unable 
to  thoroughly  understand  them,  and  while  he  was  convicted 
of  error  in  openly  opposing,  or  rebelling  against  the  Pope, 
yet  the  conference  did  not  declare  him  wrong  in  his  declara- 
tions of  a  proposed  reformation. 

A  second  conference  was  called  in  October  following, 
and  although  the  friends  of  the  Church  worked  hard  to  sub- 
due the  advancement  of  Zwinglianism,  yet  this  second  council 
would  not  condemn.  As  a  result  of  this  decision  the  reformer 
became  bolder  in  the  denunciation  of  the  Pope's  authority, 
and  more  aggressive  in  the  dissemination  of  his  new  doctrine. 
He  advised  his  clerical  adherents  to  disregard  the  established 
law  of  the  Church  in  regard  to  celibacy  and  become  married 
men,  and  he,  himself,  married  Anna  Reinhard,  a  widow,  with 
whom  he  had  for  years  been  in  sinful  intercourse. 

The  decision  i  the  second  conference  was  a  great  victory 
for  Zwingli.  j.T.e  had  openly  defied  the  Pope  of  Rome.  He 
had  controlled  the  two  councils,  established  a  line  of  ♦lew 


156  Christian  Persecutions. 

ideas  of  worship,  created  religious  power  for  himself,  enthused 
his  followers,  and  to  further  his  own  selfish  desires  had  dis- 
obeyed the  laws  of  the  Church  and  was  now  a  married  priest. 
Zwingli  was  now  outside  the  Church.  He  had  declared 
against  every  distinct  feature  of  worship.  He  had  denounced 
the  observance  of  Friday,  the  benefits  of  confession,  the 
practice  of  penance,  the  veneration  of  the  Virgin  Mary  and, 
above  all,  the  power  of  the  Pope  as  the  head  of  all  the 
Churches  of  the  Catholic  faith.  He  would  destroy  the  form 
of  prayer,  the  blessing,  the  Holy  Mass,  the  clerical  raiment, 
the  emblems  of  Christ  and  his  crucifixion,  the  altar  and 
incense,  the  celibacy  of  priests,  the  monasteries,  and  in  strong 
terms  denounced  the  Jesuits  as  an  order  of  no  Christian 
value,  which  should  no  longer  be  an  incubus  upon  the  body 
of  the  Church. 

It  may  seem  strange  that  the  authorities  of  Zurich  should 
tolerate  the  professions  of  Zwingli  against  the  Church,  but 
when  we  consider  that  there  were  large  possessions  of 
Church  lands,  vast  numbers  of  gold  and  silver  vessels,  and 
other  valuable  property,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  through  the 
mercenary  motive  of  confiscation  the  commonwealth  could 
retain  those  lands,  and  all  other  property,  and  thus  obtain 
greater  revenues  for  the  benefit  of  the  ofifice  holders,  or 
those  having  charge  of  the  government  of  the  State.  It  was 
the  same  then  as  now.  Money  was  the  price  of  faith,  the 
motive-power  of  the  worship  of  God,  and  the  instrument  by 
which  men  weigh  their  honor,  their  happiness,  and  their  im- 
mortal life.  Revenues  for  benefits  to  the  individual  only,  not 
revenue  for  the  building  of  churches,  chapels,  and  missions 


Ulrio  Zwinqli.  157 

of  God,  but  revenue  for  selfishness,  for  power,  and  for  the 
splendor  of  court.  It  was  this  plea  of  Zwingli  that  won  the 
council  of  Zurich.  By  the  overthrow  of  the  Church,  and 
confiscation  of  its  property,  there  would  be  an  increase  of 
revenue,  and  at  the  same  time  an  individual  worship  not  under 
control  of  a  higher  authority.  These  individual  favors  won 
for  this  new  apostle  of  reform  the  protection  he  desired,  and 
the  religious  power  he  sought  to  confer  upon  himself. 

The  protestation  made  by  the  Bishop  of  Constance  was 
not  heeded,  and  no  attention  was  paid  to  the  assembly  that 
met  at  Lucerne  to  denounce  the  action  of  the  council  of 
Zurich  in  confiscating  Church  property  and  allowing  the 
spread  of  the  reform  heresy.  By  the  influence  of  Zwingli  the 
council  issued  a  decree  of  religious  persecution,  by  which  the 
people  were  forbidden  to  recognize  the  Catholic  worship  in 
any  of  its  forms.  Not  only  had  they  confiscated  the  property 
of  the  Church  but  they  would  confiscate  the  conscience  of 
their  people.  They  would  destroy  their  established  modes  of 
worship,  the  principles  of  their  faith,  and  seek  to  establish  a 
new  decree. 

In  1525  this  council  forbade  the  sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  and 
ordered  a  destruction  of  all  the  Church  emblems  of  worship. 
The  altars,  pictures,  raiments,  crucifixes,  images,  music,  and 
other  church  property  of  this  description  was  ordered 
destroyed,  and  in  place  Zwingli  introduced  his  version  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  as  a  chief  discipline  of  worship.  The  obser- 
vances of  this  new  creed  were  cold  and  formal.  There  were 
no  requirements  of  self-sacrifice  or  humiHation.  Penance 
and  confession  wei:e  unnecessary  humiliation  and  repentance. 


158  Christian  Persecutions. 

and  would  be  discarded.  Observe  the  moral  law  and  you  have 
observed  the  laws  of  the  new  church.  It  was  the  worship 
of  God  according-  to  the  dictates  of  conscience.  You  obey  the 
edict  of  the  commonwealth  and  you  have  fulfilled  the  require- 
ments of  your  confession,  your  faith  and  your  obligations  to 
God  and  man. 

So  strong  was  the  requirement  that  all  should  serve  God 
in  the  participation  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  that  a  severe  penalty, 
or  punishment,  was  meted  out  to  all  who  refused  to  surrender 
their  form  of  worship  and  acctpt  the  new.  So  imperative  be- 
came the  law  or  mandate  that,  in  1529,  attendance  at  Mass 
was  forbidden  in  Zurich  and  adjoining  cantons.  The  people 
refused  to  surrender  this  great  privilege  of  worship,  and  a 
constant  persecution  was  enforced  to  deprive  them  of  it.  On 
absolutely  refusing,  they  were  imprisoned,  fined,  scourged, 
and  in  many  ways  were  made  to  suffer  the  penalty  of  dis- 
obedience. In  many  instances  it  was  but  a  repetition  of  the 
old  barbaric  line  of  treatment.  Csesar  was  right  and  Caesar 
must  be  obeyed.  Zwingli  was  the  gospel  of  salvation,  and  by 
it  all  men  must  be  saved. 

Zwingli  was  made  master  of  the  religious' situation,  and, 
like  Martin  Luther,  sought  to  uphold  Christian  discipline  by 
a  formula  of  how  to  worship,  what  to  denounce  in  the  Church 
of  Rome  and  in  whonj  was  delegated  power  to  maintain  this 
new  religion.  In  his  sixty-five  theses  he  pictured  the  faults  of 
the  Pope  and  his  Church,  the  inconsistency  of  its  require- 
ments, and  the  "true  gospel''  as  discovered  by  his  study  of 
philosophy  and  theology. 

At  Basle  the  same  spirit  of  intolerance  found  free  expres- 


Ulric  Zwingli.  159 

sion,  although  at  first  it  was  opposed  by  the  authorities,  but 
in  1527  ZwingHanism  overcame  all  opposition,  and,  as  in 
Zurich,  its  Great  Council  excluded  Catholics  from  member- 
ship, broke  in  their  churches,  destroyed  their  evidences  of 
worship,  and  forced  the  people  to  become  followers  of  their 
faith.  It  was  the  work  of  a  religious  despot.  It  was  tolera- 
tion only  as  it  obeyed  their  mandates.  The  new  gospel  of 
Christ  should  be  applied  to  all  men  without  regard  to  favor, 
feeling,  or  conscience.  It  had  denied  the  Pope  and  his 
Church,  and  in  this  denial  all  must  unite  in  praising  God  for 
its  overthrow. 

This  heresy  was  preached  at  various  other  places  and  was 
victorious  over  the  established  Church  of  Rome.  In  Berne 
the  Great  Council  gave  resistance,  but  in  so  feeble  a  manner 
that  the  followers  of  Zwingli  became  doubly  aggressive  and 
demanded  the  adoption  of  their  reform.  In  1528  a  religious 
conference  was  called  to  decide  what  should  be  done  with 
this  heresy.  By  the  action  of  several  apostate  priests  the  new 
religion  was  adopted,  and  immediately  there  was  begun  a 
persecution  against  the  rights  of  Catholics  to  worship  accord- 
ing to  their  faith.  The  whole  canton  of  Berne  was  declared 
in  favor  of  Zwingli,  and  toleration  was  no  longer  acknowl- 
edged by  that  government. 

The  defeat  of  the  Pope  and  the  Church  was  a  sad  thing 
for  them.  They  were  robbed  of  that  God-given  right  to  wor- 
ship according  to  the  dictates  of  conscience.  But  here  no 
conscience  was  allowed.  It  was  an  imperative  mandate.  The 
new  religion  was  to  be  enforced  without  regard  to  its  origin, 
the  character  of  the  founder,  or  the  divine  authority  of  its 


160      ,  Christian  Persecutions. 

establishment.  The  philosophy  of  Zwingli  must  be  enforced, 
the  Pope  denied,  and  the  Church  of  Rome  scandahzed,  villi- 
fied,  condemned,  and  made  to  suffer  the  most  degrading  per- 
secutions that  force  could  invent.  Not  only  were  their 
churches  desecrated  by  the  hand  of  the  vandal,  but  all  forms 
of  Christ's  crucifixion,  his  Blessed  Mother,  the  holy  vessels, 
the  remembrances  of  the  Apostle  Peter,  and  all  features  that 
gladden  the  heart  of  the  true  Catholic  were  spit  upon,  trampled 
upon,  destroyed  or  confiscated  in  the  mad  desire  to  rid  the 
canton  of  all  things  that  represented  the  faith  of  the  Church 
of  Rome.  Not  content  with  the  destruction  of  church  em- 
bellishments and  the  sanctity  of  the  altar,  they  would,  in  many 
instances,  burn  the  churches,  imprison  the  priests  and  terror- 
ize the  people.  Fathers  and  mothers  were  threatened  with 
imprisonment,  their  property  confiscated,  their  lands  deeded 
to  new  adherents,  and  in  many  instances  publicly  scourged  for 
failing  to  comply  with  the  new  force.  Where  they  were  stub- 
born and  refused  to  comply  with  the  demand,  their  children 
were  taken  from  them  and  placed  under  influences  which 
would  mold  the  new  belief  as  the  true  religion  into  their  hearts 
and  minds. 

While  the  people  were  not  massacred,  as  in  the  days  of 
Nero,  or  the  French  Reign  of  Terror,  yet  the  methods  were 
almost  as  brutal  in  their  compulsion,  in  their  despotic  denun- 
ciation of  free  worship,  and  in  their  encroachment  upon 
every  right  of  the  people.  It  was  the  re-habilitation  of  every 
feature  of  the  persecution  of  early  Christianity  except  the 
penalty  of  death.  Its  encroachments  upon  other  cantons 
caused  a  furious  war  to  ensue.     It  was  a  war  resulting  from 


Ulric  Zwingli.  161 

the  fiery  exhortations  of  Zwingli  to  prostitute  the  whole  Cath- 
olic Church  in  Switzerland.  Not  content  with  his  reformation 
in  the  cantons  where  he  had  obtained  authority,  he  must 
dominate  over  all  the  Churches,  and  wipe  out  what  he  called 
a  stench  upon  the  religion  of  the  world. 

The  war  raged  with  the  desperation  of  uncontrolled  fury. 
On  the  one  side  was  the  aggression  of  this  new  religious  force. 
It  was  wild  with  fanatic  persecution.  It  had  become  a  relig- 
ious craze  in  which  all  men  were  wrong  except  themselves. 
They  were  the  true  apostles  of  faith,  and  the  great  salvation 
of  God  must  be  accepted  by  force,  if  not  by  willingness  of 
heart.  There  could  be  no  question,  no  remonstrance,  no  devia- 
tion from  the  law  laid  down.  By  Zwingli  they  had  found  the 
right  and  all  men  must  be  saved  whether  they  wanted  to  be 
or  not.  On  the  other  side  were  the  devout  Catholics,  earnest 
in  their  faith,  true  to  the  teachings  of  their  Church  and  deter- 
mined in  the  defense  of  their  rights.  They  had  borne  this 
persecution  until  its  hardships  were  beyond  endurance.  They 
had  suffered  the  destruction  of  their  churches,  their  altars, 
pictures  and  relics.  They  had  seen  the  images  of  Christ  and 
the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  torn  down  and  blasphemed  against. 
They  had  seen  all  that  was  most  near  and  dear  to  the  Catholic 
heart  ruthlessly  destroyed,  or  defiled,  by  the  hand  of  the 
religious  assassin,  and  now  they  were  ready  to  lay  down  their 
lives  rather  than  longer  submit  to  the  desecration  of  their 
family  worship.  It  had  reached  the  last  point  of  endurance, 
the  die  was  cast,  the  further  encroachment  of  religious  intoler- 
ance must  cease,  or  they  die  in  battle  as  martyrs  to  their  con- 
victions of  right. 


162  Christian  Persecutions. 

In  this  struggle  the  cause  of  Zwingli  was  unsuccessful  in 
forcing  his  faith  beyond  the  provinces  he  then  controlled. 
Zwingli,  himself,  was  slaiii,.and  in  the  peace  which  followed 
there  was  greater  moderation  in  the  enforcement  of  hateful 
forms  of  worship.    The  battle  of  Cappel,  on  October  11,  1531, 
will  ever  be  remembered  by  Catholics  as  a  grand  victory  over 
the  encroachments  of  this  new  Protestant  Reformation.     It 
was  instituted  by  the  ambition  of  a  restless  and  impetuous 
apostate  priest — a  priest  of  low  moral  character,  who,  to  cover 
his  sins,  sought  to  invent  excuses,  by  parading  as  a  great 
humanitarian.     He  would  excite  the  ambition  of  others    to 
villify  the  Catholic  Church,  to  destroy  the  power  of  the  Bope, 
and  to  make  himself  powerful  in  the  establishment  of  a  pro- 
posed reform.    His  death  was  the  downfall  of  oppression  and 
further  persecution  by  his  followers. 

JOHN  CALVIN. 

After  the  battle  of  Cappel  the  Canton  of  Berne  sought  to 
influence  the  city  of  Geneva  to  adopt  this  new  faith,  not  so 
much  from  a  religious  standpoint  as  from  a  political  one. 
These  provinces  were  allied  politically  and  now  Berne  sought 
to  make  closer  the  relations  by  adopting  the  same  religion. 
The  Council  of  Geneva  finally  yielded  to  the  entreaties  of 
Berne  and  the  Catholic  religion  was  formally  renounced  and 
Zwinglianism  was  declared  the  religion  of  this  rich  and  power- 
ful city.  The  Council  now  permitted  a  desecration  of  all  Cath- 
olic Churches,  and,  as  in  the  other  cantons,  all  articles  of 
faith  and  worship  were  destroyed,  and  the  people  forced  to 
bow  to  the  jiand  of  the  vandal.     It  was  but  a  repetition  of 


John  Calvin.  168 

what  has  been  described  in  Zurich,  Berne,  and  other  CathoHc 
places.  The  emblems  of  faith,  such  as  altars,  relics,  paintings, 
sculptured  images,  holy  vessels,  and  all  articles  of  Christian 
worth  were  destroyed,  and  the  power  of  the  Council  made 
supreme.  It  was  a  declaration  of  intolerance,  or  persecution, 
and  to  protest  was  imprisonment,  punishment,  confiscation 
and  ruin.  Ministers  were  accompanied  by  armed  troops  to 
forcibly  take  possession  of  churches,  rid  them  of  emblems,  and 
force  the  people  to  attend  worship  against  the  dictates  of  their 
own  conscience.  Every  opposition  made  by  the  people  and 
priests  was  suppressed  by  the  power  of  the  troops.  To  refuse 
to  obey  was  to  sleep  in  a  dungeon,  to  suffer  the  spoliation  of 
property,  to  be  exiled  from  family  and  friends,  and  to  bear  the 
indignities  of  a  cruel  persecution. 

We  may  sometimes  think  ill  of  those  honest  people  who 
submitted  to  the  destruction  of  their  religion  and  mode  of 
worship,  but  when  we  consider  their  position,  their  long  con- 
tinuance in  obedience,  and  their  lack  of  education,  we  cannot 
blame  them  too  severely,  for  who  of  you,  dear  readers,  could 
stand  this  force  of  law  and  government?  Consider,  then,  these 
persecutions,  and  see  an  armed  force  enter  your  church, 
destroy  your  emblems  of  worship,  cast  you  into  prison  for 
disobedience,  threaten  the  removal  of  your  children,  the  con- 
fiscation of  your  property,  and  at  the  same  time  know  their 
ability  and  disposition  to  carry  out  their  edicts,  and  you  would 
not  be  human  if  you  did  not  protect  your  home,  your  family, 
and  yourself.  It  is  but  human  nature  to  defend  loved  ones, 
home,  and  its  sacred  influences.  Few  could  resist  the  demands 
of  this  force,  and  no  one  should  be  condemned  for  seeking 


164  Christian  Persecutions. 

his  personal  protection.  It  was  not  the  same  condition  that 
surrounded  the  Christians  at  the  time  of  Nero.  Then  the 
Church  was  seeking-  its  foundation,  its  basis  of  endurance,  and 
its  rock  of  salvation.  It  was  the  establishment  of  Christ's 
Church  by  the  Apostle  Peter.  It  was  a  time  when  to  falter 
meant  everlasting  defeat.  It  meant  that  the  pagan  world  was 
lost  to  human  agency.  It  must  be  the  sacrifice  of  hberty,  of 
all  things  earthly,  and  of  life.  It  was  to  prove  that  the  crucifix 
was  stronger  in  God's  hands  than  was  persecution  in  the 
hands  of  murderers  and  assassins.  It  was  the  order  of  God 
that  men  should  lay  down  their  lives  that  Christ  might  be 
glorified.  It  was  to  prove  to  the  pagan  rulers  that  Christ 
could  not  be  dethroned,  nor  faith  in  him  shaken  by  crucifixion. 
At  the  time  of  John  Calvin  and  Ulric  Zwingli  it  was  not  a 
question  of  Christ,  but  how  best  to  serve  him.  These  reform- 
ers had  no  fight  with  the  Catholic  Church  as  to  the  divinity  of 
Christ,  or  the  future  existence  of  man.  It  was  the  faith,  the 
creed,  the  church.  It  was  whether  the  Pope  should  be  at  the 
head  of  all  Christendom,  or  whether  the  worship  of  God 
should  be  at  the  will  of  any  one  who  should  choose  a  new 
theology.  They  preached  salvation  through  Christ  crucified, 
and  through  their  version  of  a  "true  gospel"  and  a  true  relig- 
ion, while  the  people  protesting  against  the  forms  of  reforma- 
tion were  submissive,  because  they  were  still  allowed  to  wor- 
ship their  Savior  and  venerate  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  Had 
they  been  compelled  to  worship  idolatry  these  reformers  could 
never  have  gained  control  over  them.  The  people  were  made 
to  believe  that  the  Church  of  Rome  had  degenerated  from  the 
true  religion,  and  being  powerful  in  exhortation,  they  obtained 
ready  concessions,  from  many  of  their  followers. 


John  Calvin.  165 

One  of  the  effects  of  this  new  innovation  was  to  destroy 
discipline,  destroy  the  observance  of  religious  government,  the 
true  character  of  faith,  and  the  careful  consideration  of  sin. 
It  had  destroyed  Penance  and  Confession,  and  in  its  place 
had  grown  up  the  weeds  of  a  licentious  disposition.  Nature 
had  not  been  curbed  and  the  evil  influences  of  a  lustful  nature 
were  destroying  the  groundwork  of  purity,  the  reverence  of 
truth,  and  the  protecting  influence  of  the  teachings  of  the 
Church.  These  elements  of  man's  nature  being  freed  from  the 
restraint  of  the  Church,  grew  stronger  and  stronger,  and  more 
dangerous  to  the  morals  of  the  people,  until  it  became  the 
ruling  passion  of  society.  The  leaders  sought  in  vain  to  stay 
the  tide  of  immorality,  but  were  powerless  to  check  its  way. 
Catholic  restraint  was  gone,  and  with  its  absence  the  vile 
passions  of  men  became  uncontrollable,  dangerous  to  govern- 
ment and  dangerous  to  the  welfare  of  society,  of  religion, 
and  of  order. 

At  this  critical  point  of  the  Reformation  of  Ulric  Zwingli, 
John  Calvin  entered  Geneva  with  his  doctrine  of  worship,  his 
new  power  of  expression,  and  his  new  version  of  the  Gospel 
of  Repentance.  The  people  became  interested  in  this  new 
leader,  were  easily  seduced  from  following  Zwingli,  and  ac- 
cepted the  faith  as  now  laid  down  by  John  Calvin. 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  Calvin  in  Geneva  he  married  the 
widow  of  an  Anabaptist  of  Strasburg.  In  1541  he  was  given 
almost  absolute  control  over  the  ecclesiastical  government. 
His  worship  was  cold  and  formal,  consisting  in  special  prayers, 
psalm-singinjj,  catechetical  instructions  and  sermons.  All 
ornaments,  raiments,  images,  or  pictures  were  removed  from 


166  Christian  Persecutions. 

the  church.  The  finery  of  dress  was  considered  sinful,  and 
mirth  must  be  subdued,  as  this  was  one  of  the  great  agencies 
of  the  devil. 

Calvin  saw  the  benefits  of  confession  and  desired  to  intro- 
duce it  into  his  service,  but  owing  to  the  Zwinglian  influence 
he  adopted  open  confession  during  church  services.  This  con- 
fession was  only  the  admission  that  the  individual  had  received 
Christ  in  his  heart,  and  desired  to  stand  upon  the  faith  of  this 
new  creed.  It  was  not  the  admission  of  any  particular  sin,  but 
a  declaration  of  repentance,  and  the  desire  that  God  will 
forgive. 

For  the  maintenance  of  moral  discipline,  a  church  tribunal 
was  established  to  keep  watch  over  individuals,  or  famihes, 
and  ascertain  if  they  were  proper  in  conduct,  and  were  regular 
attendants  at  church  worship.  This  tribunal  was  composed  of 
preachers  and  laymen,  and  was  allowed  to  encroach  upon  the 
sacred  rights  of  the  home.  They  were  allowed  to  listen  at  the 
keyhole,  to  enter  as  spies,  or  in  any  way  whatever  to  obtain 
the  secrets  of  the  household.  It  was  a  most  infamous  inquisi- 
torial machine.  They  had  not  only  the  right  to  enter  the 
house  at  any  hour,  but  were  empowered  to  question  the  in- 
dividuals, ask  for  evidence,  and'if  in  their  judgment  they  were 
guilty  of  misconduct,  to  declare  a  punishment.  The  most 
stringent  measures  were  adopted  to  enforce  the  rules  of  the 
Church  and  the  ordinances  of  the  city.  Some  of  the  most 
innocent  pleasures  were  denied,  as  the  somber  faces  of  the 
leaders  could  scarcely  permit  anything  that  would  provoke 
mirth  or  jollification.  Even  family  festivals  were  forbidden, 
and  to  dance  was  an  abomination  unto  the  Lord. 


John  Calvin.  167 

The  old  residents  were  iinwilHng  to  submit  to  these  re- 
strictions upon  their  innocent  pleasures.  They  were  not  raised 
with  apparent  sadness  and  sorrow  in  their  faces.  Theirs  had 
been  a  life  of  pleasant  recollections,  and  pleasant  expectations 
for  the  future,  and  now  to  wrinkle  the  forehead  in  deep  medita- 
tion, and  to  frown  and  scowl  at  every  feature  of  worldly  pleas- 
ure, was  too  much  for  their  forbearance,  but  to  rebel  meant 
punishment,  and  in  many  instances  execution.  Civil  officers 
received  strict  orders  to  suppress  every  Catholic  demonstra- 
tion. If  a  Catholic  refused  to  obey  the  mandates  of  this  new 
religious  law  he  was  punished  according  to  the  enormity  of  the 
proclaimed  sin.  If  he  refused  to  eat  meat  on  Friday  it  meant 
imprisonment  until  his  public  confession  declared  this  sacri- 
fice as  an  unworthy  observance,  and  should  be  abolished.  The 
authority  of  Calvin  was  most  despotic,  and  his  inhuman  sever- 
ity in  the  enforcement  of  his  religious  laws  was  degrading, 
offensive,  and  intolerant.  His  abuse  of  all  things  Catholic 
was  but  the  natural  overflow  of  his  unconcealed  hatred.  He 
was  devoid  of  conscience  in  the  execution  of  penalties,  and 
for  Catholic  human  life  there  was  no  justice,  shame,  or  re- 
morse. To  be  a  Catholic  was  to  be  an  enemy  of  God,  and  as 
God  was  the  great  central  figure  of  worship,  there  must  be  no 
opposition  to  his  appointed  time,  place,  and  manner. 

It  is  from  John  Calvin,  we  find,  that  the  strict  and  extreme- 
ly orthodox  Covenanters  of  Scotland,  and  the  Puritans  of  New 
England  descend.  These  people  have  ever  been  the  closest 
disciples  of  a  stern  and  unforgiving  religion.  They  seem  to 
inherit  the  enmity  of  all  things  Catholic,  and  are  opposed,  in 
a  great  measure,  to  all  things  not  strictly  in  conformity  with 
their  belief  of  life  and  its  eternity. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

SUMMARY  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

IN  the  preceding  chapter  we  have  given  a  short  account  of 
*  the  Lutheran  Reformation,  its  causes,  results,  and  effects. 
The  history  of  A/fartin  Luther  is  one  of  remarkable  record. 
He  was  brilliant  in  thought  and  ingenuity,  powerful  in  presen- 
tation, and  cool  and  adroit  in  plans  and  execution.  Few  men 
have  lived  who  could  mold  public  sentiment  with  such  power 
of  fascination.  Like  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  he  was  the  master 
of  all  situations  and  at  all  times.  His  power  of  eloquence  was 
equaled  only  by  the  mesmeric  influence  of  his  presence.  These 
powers  won  for  him  admiration  of  character,  fervent  devotion 
to  principle,  and  profound  veneration  for  his  understanding. 
The  early  purity  of  his  life,  and  his  love  and  obedience  to  the 
Pope,  stands  in  strong  contrast  to  his  future  hate,  malice,  and 
persecution. 

In  the  study  of  theology  his  mind  conspired  at  conclusions, 
wrought  out  new  inventions  ol  ideas,  and  arranged  them  for 
the  benefits  of  adoption.  At  fii3t  these  thoughts  were  in  wild 
expansion,  but  by  the  force  of  concentration  he  evolved  a  new 
line  of  religious  control,  a  new  system  of  worship,  and  a  new 
doctrine  of  Divinity.  Alone  and  unaided  he  stood  before  the 
Christian  world  defiant  and  aggressive.  His  friends  were 
dumbfounded  at  his  audacity,  and  the  Pope  laughed  at  his 
earnestness.  As  he  had  no  enemies,  there  were  none  to  revile, 
or  to  secretly  seek  to  overthrow.     His  ninety-five  theses  were 

168 


Summary  of  the  Reformation,  169 

circulated  as  a  startling-  announcement  of  something,  they 
knew  not  what.  It  was  like  a  flash  of  lightning  from  a  clear 
sky.  They  came  unannounced  and  in  their  startling  assertions 
were  like  the  weird  whisperings  of  a  mighty  storm.  The 
Christian  world  was  amazed,  stupefied  in  astonishment,  over- 
whelmed in  consternation,  and  yet  Martin  Luther  stood  like  a 
great  gaunt  specter  rising  higher  and  higher  in  the  sublimity 
of  his  awful  daring.  And  there  on  the  brink  of  a  fearful 
precipice  he  stood  waiting  the  result  of  his  proposed  Refor- 
mation. 

Gradually  he  surrounded  himself  with  a  powerful  force  of 
friends  and  allies.  The  Pope  grew  serious  and  asked  for  an 
explanation  of  his  remarkable  conduct.  Luther  fell  upon  his 
knees  and  begged  the  Church  to  accept  his  doctrine,  his 
theology,  his  invention.  He  would  revolutionize  all  forms  of 
worship.  He  would  point  out  the  straight  and  narrow  way. 
He  would  lead  a  true  repentance.  He  would  be  the  mortal 
Messiah  of  the  Church,  the  representative  of  Christ,  and  the 
true  apostle  of  wors'hip.  All  these  he  would  bestow  upon 
Christianity  if  the  Church  would  but  fall  down  and  worship 
him.  He  appealed  to  the  princes  to  overthrow  the  power  of 
the  Pope,  to  appropriate  the  revenues  to  their  own  use;  to 
become  independent,  and  more  powerful  in  government.  The 
Diets,  when  convened,  condemned  him  as  a  heretic,  but  no 
one  sought  to  enforce  the  edict.  The  Pope  was  finally  obliged 
to  excommunicate  him,  although  he  left  the  door  open  for 
confession.  They  believed  the  passion  of  Luther  would  pass 
away  and  he  would  yet  return  to  his  mother's  love.  But  the 
fiery  zeal  of  uncontrolled  force  drove  him  further  and  further 

(12) 


170  Christian  Persecutions. 

from  the  hearthstone  of  afifection,  from  the  power  that  endowed 
him  with  learning,  the  power  that  bestowed  upon  him  position 
and  fame,  that  ripened  his  manhood  into  the  conscious  power 
of  strength,  abihty,  and  character.  From  this  love,  this  afifec- 
tion,  this  endowment,  he  turned  with  all  the  malignant  desire 
of  a  depraved  nature,  and  all  because  his  theology,  his  philos- 
ophy was  .not  adopted  as  the  foundation  of  the  future  Church 
of  Rome. 

From  this  revolt  of  Martin  Luther  originated  the  long  line 
of  Protestant  doctrines  of  worship.  When  once  a  people  are 
divided  in  opinions  there  will  arise  a  Babel  of  voices  clamoring 
for  this  or  that,  for  consideration,  for  expansion,  for  rejection, 
for  issues  of  every  character  which  the  ingenuity  of  man  can 
invent.  So  frail  is  man  in  his  own  power  of  understanding, 
that  any  creed,  no  matter  how  ridiculous,  how  ungodly  in 
character,  or  how  foreign  to  the  light  of  reason,  if  presented 
with  eloquence  and  apparent  faith,  will  find  its  followers,  and 
in  proportion  to  the  energy  used  to  advance  this  thought  or 
theory,  so  will  this  new  doctrine  extian.'l  multiply,  and  become 
the  lav,'  of  men,  states,  and  nations. 

It  is  Satan's  scheme  to  first  create  dircrrd,  then  division, 
then  anarchy,  then  ruin.  It  is  only  by  strength  that  progress, 
enlightenment,  and  Christianity  moves  this  world  of  motion. 
Destroy  strenglh  and  you  destroy  the  whole  fabric  of  purpose, 
of  light,  of  endurance,  and  power.  God  ordained  that  law, 
order,  and  obedience  must  be  the  groundwork  of  happiness. 
Without  law  there  can  be  no  security  of  life,  no  guarantee  of 
purpose,  and  no  protection  of  rig*hts.  Without  order  we  have 
chaos  and  ruin.    Without  obedience  it  is  one  realm  of  mutiny. 


Summary  of  the  Reformation.  171 

a  storm-tossed  ship  without  rudder  or  compass,  a  mob  with- 
out leadership,  an  army  without  a  general,  and  honesty  with- 
out truth. 

The  Catholic  Church  was  founded  by  Jesus  Christ,  and 
the  Apostle  Peter  was  its  first  visible  head,  and  in  these  2,000 
years  it  has  remained  steadfast  in  its  promotion  of  truth  and 
Christianity.  Nations  have  lived  and  died,  and  yet  in  all  the 
varied  changes  of  institutions,  in  all  the  expansion  and  contrac-- 
tion  of  governments,  we  find  this  Churcli  at  the  beginning  and 
at  the  end.  It  is  the  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  first  to  preach 
the  gospel  of  Christ,  the  first  to  lay  down  their  lives  in  sus- 
taining the  true  faith  of  God.  And  while  they  suffered  death 
by  ghastly  brutal  means,  by  fire  and  sword,  by  crucifixion,  yet 
in  all  its  persecution  it  grew  brighter  and  brighter,  its  influence 
spread  farther  and  farther,  until  the  whole  world  seemed  to 
yield  to  Christian  power. 

Such  is  the  history  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  while 
paganism  sought  to  persecute  it  out  of  existence,  yet  in  the 
hands  of  God  this  persecution  was  but  the  means  of  perfecting 
its  strength,  its  power,  and  its  glory.  And  while  Martin 
Luther  sought  to  tear  down  its  foundation  of  principles  and 
build  upon  its  fallen  structure  the  story  of  Reformation,  yet 
it  passes  through  these  years  of  assault,  freed  from  the  dross 
of  indulgence,  of  conspiracy,  and  of  jealous  power.  Not  once 
in  its  long  line  of  triumphs  and  adversity  has  the  Church  been 
made  weaker  in  its  defense,  less  devout  in  its  teachings,  or  less 
dim  in  its  splendor,  but  ever  rises,  purer  in  purpose,  more 
stable  in  discipline,  and  more  grand  in  the  development  of 
Christian  love  and  forbearance. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  THIRTY  YEARS'  WAR. 

A  S  has  been  mentioned  in  a  preceding  chapter,  this  "Thirty 
-**  Years'  War"  was  the  last  great  combat  between  Prot- 
estants and  Cathohcs  in  Europe.  It  was  the  most  disastrous 
conflict  since  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  Era.  History 
informs  us  that  its  effect  upon  Germany  alone  was  beyond 
calculation,  that  it  is  impossible  to  give  expression  to  its 
wretchedness,  its  devastation  of  cities,  homes,  and  country. 
In  1618,  the  date  of  the  commencement  of  this  struggle,  Ger- 
many had  a  population  of  30,000,000;  at  its  close,  in  1648,  it 
numbered  less  than  12,000,000.  No  one  can  comprehend  this 
terrible  destruction  of  life  and  property.  Many  of  the  most 
flourishing  cities  were  almost  completely  destroyed,  and  com- 
merce, trade  and  industries  ruined.  The  magnificent  city  of 
Berlin  was  reduced  to  a  few  hundred  destitute  and  starving 
people.  The  duchy  of  Wiirtemberg  could  scarcely  number 
50,000  individuals,  where  before  there  flourished  more  than 
half  a  million.  The  ruins  of  the  homes  of  peasants  were  on 
every  hand — on  all  sides  was  despair  and  desolation.  The 
country  was  literally  a  blackened  waste  of  war's  destruction. 
No  enterprise,  no  trade,  no  commerce,  nothing  of  the  arts, 
sciences,  or  learning.  Education  was  entirely  neglected,  ex- 
cept the  education  for  war.  Children  were  born  and  grew  to 
manhood  with  the  cry  of  Reformation  on  their  lips,-  with 
the  denunciation  of  all  things  Catholic  in  their  hearts,  and 


The  Thirty  Years'  War.  173 

with  war  as  the  only  aim  of  Hfe.  It  was  the  most  barbaric  age 
of  German  existence.  Moral  law  was  lost  in  the  forgetful- 
ness  of  duty  to  mankind.  Vice,  nourished  by  the  impure  at- 
mosphere of  constant  camp  life,  had  full  sway;  licentiousness 
ruled  supreme.  Cities  that  erstwhile  had  spread  renown  with 
their  paintings  and  sculptures,  now  lay  in  ruins  and  neglect. 
"In  character,  in  intelligence,  and  in  morality,  the  German 
people  were  set  back  two  hundred  years." 

The  followers  of  Martin  Luther  may .  declare  that  this 
awful  calamity  was  the  work  of  Catholics  and  of  CathoHc 
inception,  but  in  this  they  are  much  mistaken.  It  was  a  con- 
flict almost  directly  traceable  to  Protestant  revolt  from  the 
Roman  Church,  and  we  find  that  the  spirit  of  conquest  and 
political  aspirations  entered  largely  into  it.  But  construe 
it  as  we  may,  it  was  the  termination  of  the  great  religious  re- 
volt, or  Reformation,  begun  by  Martin  Luther,  Ulric  Zwingli, 
and  John  Calvin.  While  they  may  rejoice  in  the  overthrow 
of  Papal  authority,  yet  their  victory  was  gained  only  by  an 
enormous  sacrifice  of  blood  and  treasure.  The  desolation  of 
the  German  empire;  the  18,000,000  people  lost  in  the  conflict; 
the  destruction  of  commerce;  the  decline  of  architecture,  of 
learning  and  of  science;  the  loss  of  character;  the  political  dis- 
union; the  vice,  misery,  and  degradation  incident  to  a  war  of 
this  nature:  all  these  must  be  added  to  the  price  of  their 
victory. 

In  1608  the  Protestants  of  Germany  formed  the  Evan- 
geHcal  Union  for  the  purpose  of  encroaching  upon  Catholic 
religious  sovereignty,  by  extending  their  form  of  worship. 
In  order  to  defend  themselves  against  this  encroachment  the 


I'^-l  Christian  Persecutions. 

Catholics,    the    following    year,    org-anized    a    confederation 
known  as  the   Holy  League.     These  two   organizations  at- 
tinies  became  desperately  hostile,  and  all  Germany  was  being 
rapidly  prepared  for  the  fierce  religious  war  that  soon  fol- 
lowed. 

The  first  cry  of  war  was  in  Bohemia,  where  the  Protest- 
ants rose  m  revolt  against  their  Catholic  king,  Ferdinand. 
Having  overthrown  Ferdinand,  they  elected  Frederick  V,  of 
the  Palatinate,  son-in-law  of  James  I  of  England.  The  new 
Protestant  king  immediately  expelled  the  Jesuits,  commanded 
obedience  to  his  decree  of  worship,  and  established  the  religion 
of  Martin  Luther  throughout  the  province.  The  Bohemian 
king,-  Ferdinand,  again  obtained  control  of  imperial  affairs, 
however,  and  his  followers  elected  him  emperor  and  rallied 
to  his  support.  As  the  Catholics  were  highly  incensed  at  the 
Protestant  king,  Frederick,  for  his  unjust  conduct  against  the 
Jesuits,  and  the  enforcement  of  his  creed  among  the  people, 
they  made  a  desperate  effort  to  regain  their  religious  rights, 
and  in  this  effort  Ferdinand  was  successful.  The  revolt  was 
quelled,  the  leaders  of  the  insurrection  executed,  and  the 
reformation  in  Bohemia  came  to  an  ignominious  end. 

The  success  of  Ferdinand  created  consternation  among 
the  Protestant  German  princes,  and  they  appealed  to  the 
king  of  Denmark,  Christian  IV,  to  come  to  their  assistance. 
The  king,  being  supported  by  England  and  Holland,  wilHngly 
entered  the  contest  in  behalf  of  the  German  Protestants,  who 
were  greatly  encouraged  by  this  new  alliance.  On  the  side 
of  the  Catholics  were  two  noted  leaders — ^Tilly,  who  com- 
manded the  Holy  League,  and  Wallenstein,  who  commanded 
the  Imperial  army. 


The  Thirty  Years'  War.  175 

The  struggle  that  followed  was  desperate  in  the  extreme. 
The  Protestants  fought  to  overthrow  the  Church  of  Rome, 
and  the  Catholics  to  regain  their  confiscated  property — 
churches,  monasteries,  and  other  ecclesiastical  lands.  On  the 
one  side  it  was  to  conquer  Romanism  and  extend  the  Refor- 
mation; while  on  the  other,  it  was  to  regain  possession  of 
what  was  lost.  In  this  war  Christian  was  defeated  and,  in 
1G29,  sued  for  peace  and  retired  from  the  struggle.  In  this 
peace  the  Edict  of  Restitution  restored  to  the  Catholics  of 
North  Germany  all  the  property  confiscated  by  the  Protest- 
ants, in  violation  of  the  terms  agreed  to  at  Augsburg  in  1555. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  well  to  mention  the  nature  of 
this  Augsburg  treaty.  It  was  a  convention  of  the  princes  of 
the  German  states  whereby  it  was  agreed  that  every  prince 
should  decide  the  faith  he  and  his  people  should  follow,  tak- 
ing his  choice  between  the  Catholic  and  Protestant  religions, 
and  when  he  had  chosen  his  religion,  that  religion  must  re- 
main inviolate.  As  will  be  seen,  the  people  were  not  consid- 
ered at  all.  If  a  prince  decided  to  become  a  Protestant,  his 
subjects  must  become  followers  of  the  same  faith,  whether  so 
inclined  or  not.  It  was  toleration  to  princes,  but  intoleration 
to  the  people.  As  the  people  were  originally  Catholic,  it  be- 
came a  religious  burden  and  a  persecution.  But,  according 
to  this  agreement,  each  prince  should  have  complete  religious 
control,  and  no  force  should  be  resorted  to,  to  add  to  or  take 
from.  It  was  an  agreement  binding  each  party  to  observe  the 
religious  rights  of  others. 

It  was  the  violation  of  this  treaty  that  was  largely  respon- 
sible for  the  declaration  of  war.     The  Protestants  had  con- 


176  Christian  Persecutions. 

fiscated  valuable  property  which,  in  the  Peace  of  Liibeck, 
restored  to  the  Catholics,  throug-h  the  Edict  of  Restitution, 
two  archbishoprics,  twelve  bishopries,  many  monasteries  with 
their  valuable  possessions,  chapels,  churches,  and  other  ecclesi- 
astical property. 

In  1630,  Gustavus  Adolphus,  king  of  Sweden,  resolved  to 
throw  his  influence  towards  the  German  forces,  and  strive  to 
regain  what  Protestantism  had  lost.  Accordingly,  at  the 
head  of  16,000  Swedes,  he  entered  Northern  Germany,  but 
the  dispirited  Germans  were  slow  to  renew  the  conflict, 
and  Tilly  captured  and  burned  the  city  of  Alagdeburg,  and 
slew  30,000  of  the  inhabitants.  The  Protestant  princes  imme 
diately  upon  this  united  their  forces  with  the  king  of  Sweden 
and,  in  1631,  at  the  celebrated  battle  of  Leipsic,  defeated  Tilly 
with  great  loss.  Later  Tilly  was  again  defeated  and  fatally 
wounded,  thus  giving  Gustavus  a  decided  victory, 

Wallenstein  was  now  called  to  head  the  armies  of  the 
Holy  League,  and,  through  his  great  popularity,  was  soon 
in  command  of  40,000  determined  men  who,  in  1632,  attacked 
the  Swedes  on  the  field  of  Lutzen,  in  Saxony,  and  gave  them 
battle.  This  conflict  was  one  of  the  most  stubborn  and  des- 
perate battles  fought  in  the  entire  period  of  wars.  The  Swedes 
were  victorious,  but  Gustavus  was  killed.  Notwithstanding 
the  Swedish  king  and  commander  was  killed,  the  Swedes 
would  not  withdraw  from  the  conflict,  but  continued  to  fight 
for  the  cause  of  Protestant  Germany  for  several  years  there- 
after. 

And  so  the  terrible  desolation  of  war  went  on.  Those 
who  were  engaged  in  the  first  years  of  the  war,  had  now 


The  Thirty  Years'  War.  177 

passed  away,  and  new  leaders,  with  new  ideas  of  conquest, 
filled  the  ranks  of  those  engaged  in  this  greatest  of  religious 
struggles.  It  was  not  until  1643  that  the  first  whisperings  of 
peace  were  heard.  The  country  was  ruined,  the  cities  depop- 
ulated, and  yet  with  all  this  bloodshed,  rapine,  murder,  and 
desolation,  no  one  desired  peace  unless  on  terms  advantageous 
to  his  side.  Peace  would  be  gladly  welcomed,  but  it  must  be 
a  Protestant  or  a  Catholic  peace.  The  division  of  territory 
must  be  made  in  such  a  manner  as  to  be  satisfactory  to 
Sweden,  Germany,  France,  and  the  Roman  States.  For  five 
years  there  was  constant  discussion  and  negotiation,  until  at 
last  the  celebrated  treaty  of  Westphalia  was  established  and 
agreed  to  by  the  different  European  powers. 

The  chief  articles  agreed  to  were  divided  into  two  divi- 
sions— territorial  boundaries,  and  religious  control.  In  the 
division  of  territory  the  Holy  Roman  empire  was  shorn  of 
some  of  its  possessions.  Switzerland  was  declared  no  longer 
a  subject  of  Rome,  although  in  reality  it  had  been  independent 
for  a  long  time.  The  United  Netherlands  was  also  declared 
independent,  while  France  gathered  in  the  cities  of  Metz,  Toul, 
Verdun,  and  a  large  portion  of  Alsace  and  Lorraine.  Sweden 
was  given  a  long  strip  on  the  Baltic  Sea  from  Northern  Ger- 
many, and  in  Germany  many  changes  were  made  in  favor  of 
the  various  princes. 

In  the  matter  of  religion,  the  Catholics,  Lutherans,  and 
Calvinists  were  placed  on  the  same  footing.  The  Protestants 
were  to  retain  all  the  Church  property  in  their  possession  in 
1624,  and  every  prince  was  to  dictate  the  religion  of  his  people, 
and  given  the  power  to  banish  all  who  refused  to  acknowledge 


178  Christian  Persecutions. 

the  established  creed,  but  such  persons  were  to  be  allowea 
three  years  in  which  to  emigrate.  It  was  rchgious  toleration 
for  three  years,  but  after  that  all  failing  to  comply  with  the 
requirements  must  be  expelled. 

Thus  closed  the  most  costly  war  in  blood  and  treasure 
the  world  has  ever  seen.  The  strength  of  Germany  had 
waned;  it  had  become  weak  and  dispirited.  Her  people  had 
lost  almost  every  sentiment  of  pride  and  hope.  Her  desola- 
tion was  complete.  Her  population  was  decimated  to  less 
than  one-half,  her  industries  were  ruined,  her  arts  lost  in  the 
turmoil  of  war,  and  her  advancement  in  Christianity  almost 
entirely  checked  by  the  results  of  this  most  cruel  and  inhuman 
war. 

But  at  last  we  reach  the  end  of  the  persecution.  The 
Peace  of  Westphalia  marks  the  end  of  the  religious  wars  oc- 
casioned by  the  Reformation.  A  century  and  a  third  had 
almost  passed  since  the  first  declaration  of  religious  reform 
had  been  spoken.  Martin  Luther  and  John  Calvin  had  long 
snice  gone  to  their  final  rest. 

The  seeds  of  the  Reformation  had  established  the  two 
great  religious  creeds,  Lutheranism  and  Calvinism,  but  we 
can  never  compute  the  cost  of  their  establishment.  To  locate 
the  followers  of  these  two  creeds  by  nationality,  we  might 
include  Germany,  Norway  and  Sweden,  Denmark,  the  Neth- 
erlands, and  Switzerland,  in  the  list  of  those  most  interested  in 
the  religion  of  Martin  Luther,  while  the  followers  of  John 
Calvin  were  the  Huguenots  of  France,  the  Covenanters  of 
Scotland,  the  Puritans  of  England,  and  the  Pilgrim  Fathers 
of  the  new  world. 


The  Thirty  Years'  War.  179 

At  this  period  history  closes  the  general  religious  wars, 
although  many  minor  conflicts  and  persecutions  have  pre- 
vailed. The  treaty  of  Westphalia  is  a  prominent  monument 
in  the  dividing  line  of  two  great  periods  of  history.  It  marks 
the  religious  end  of  the  Reformation  and  the  beginning  of 
the  troubles  of  political  revolution.  Henceforth  nations  will 
not  make  religion  a  basis  of  war  and  desolation.  It  will  be 
wars  of  government,  and  not  of  creed;  conquest  for  the  sake 
of  territory,  and  not  the  form  of  worship.  It  will  be  a  scramble 
for  place  and  preferment.  The  gospel  of  Christ  will  be 
preached  for  the  repentance  of  men,  and  not  for  their  persecu- 
tion and  crucifixion.  And  as  we  draw  nearer  and.  nearer  to 
the  close  of  the  nineteenth  century,  we  more  fully  appreciate 
the  blessings  of  toleration,  the  true  influences  of  Christianity, 
the  true  spirit  of  devotion,  discipline  and  harmony.  It  is 
new  no  longer  a  conquest  by  force.  The  true  faith  of  the 
Apostle  Peter  control^  the  mind,  the  heart,  and  conscience 
of  men.  It  is  no  longer  fire  and  sword,  but  the  teachings 
of  Christ,  who,  in  the  agonies  of  death,  would  forgive  his 
enemies  and  in  this  forgiveness  ask  his  Father  in  Heaven 
to  also  forgive  "for  they  know  not  what  they  do." 

The  advancement  of  the  Catholic  Church  is  fast  outstrip- 
ping the  Protestant  faith.  Its  gospel  has  been  translated  and 
preached  in  every  country  of  the  earth.  Its  missions  of  peace 
have  penetrated  the  dark  interior  of  Asia  and  Africa.  It  is 
foremost  in  all  the  countries  of  South  America,  Mexico,  and 
Central  America.  Its  magnificent  institutions  are  seen  every- 
where in  the  United  States  and  Canada.  It  is  no  longer  per- 
secuted  in   England,    Ireland,    Germany,   and   Russia.     The 


180  Christian  Persecutions. 

great  Church  of  England  is  becoming  friendly,  and  many  be- 
lieve in  reuniting.  The  Greek  Church  of  Russia  is  already 
considering  a  means  of  uniting  these  two  great  forces  in  one. 
harmonious  whole.  The  enemies  of  Rome  no  longer  pro- 
claim the  Church  as  dangerous  to  civilization,  to  progress,  and 
to  education.  The  Pope  to-day  stands  as  the  greatest  arbiter 
of  peace  in  the  whole  realm  of  diplomacy.  He  knows  that 
war  and  religion  do  not  go  hand  in  hand,  that  national  con- 
flicts destroy  the  fruits  of  Christianity,  divide  nations,  breed 
Atheism,  and  foster  disobedience  to  God  and  His  divine 
teachings.   ' 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  HUGUENOTS. 

"\7[  WITHOUT  studying  the  history  of  France  during  the 
'  '  period  known  as  the  Huguenot  wars  (1562-1G29),  we 
get  a  very  wrong  opinion  of  the  two  opposing  forces — the 
Huguenots  and  the  CathoHcs.  From  the  radical  standpoint  of 
Protestant  authority  we  find  that  the  aggressors  are  the  Cath- 
olics, and  that  the  persecution  of  the  Huguenots  was  the  result 
of  this  aggression.  As  all  wars  are  a  series  of  persecutions, 
from  one  side  or  another,  so  we  find  in  the  history  of  1562  to 
1G29  a  succession  of  conflicts,  in  which  each  side  is  at  times 
successful  and  again  is  defeated.  As  defeat  in  those  days 
meant  persecution,  we  are  assured  that  when  the  Protestant 
Huguenots  were  victorious  it  meant  the  persecution  of  Cath- 
olics, and  when  it  was  a  Catholic  victory,  it  meant  the  persecu- 
tion of  Protestants. 

But  when  we  study  unbiased  and  unprejudiced  history,  we 
find  in  every  feature  of  reformation  a  desire  to  extend,  or  force 
the  Calvinistic  doctrine  into  every  society,  every  interest,  and 
every  government.  It  becomes  a  restless  fire  of  encroachment 
— a  desire  to  teach  all  men  the  same  theology  as  discovered 
or  conceived  by  them,  and  if  people  failed  to  receive  it,  to  force 
a  conflict  and  compel  its  observance.  The  Reformer's  ex- 
hortation knew  no  bounds  or  limits.  Its  field  of  action  was 
as  broad  as  is  the  society  of  .men.  It  begins  by  the  study  of 
philosophy,  and  ends  only  when  it  has  conquered  all,  or  is 

181 


182  Christian  Persecutions. 

forced  to  retreat  by  a  victorious  opposition.  Its  faith  is  the 
all-absorbing  thought  of  action,  and  how  to  force  its  universal 
adoption  is  the  study  of  its  followers.  Thus  we  find  in  the 
history  of  these  French  wars  of  religious  persecutions,  that 
Protestant  enthusiasm  is  always  the  one  to  foment  conflict, 
to  beget  hatred,  and  to  inaugurate  deep  and  terrible  struggles, 
as  the  result  of  advancing  new  forms  of  worship,  new  duties 
to  observe,  and  new  principles  of  salvation. 

Reformation  means  revolution.  It  may  be  a  revolution 
through  expressions  of  argument,  or  through  the  force  ol 
arms.  It  is  opposition,  and  in  opposition  we  have  conflict; 
therefore,  by  a  logical  conclusion,  we  must  recognize  the  fact 
that  there  can  be  no  opposition,  or  persecution,  until  there 
is  an  aggression,  and  the  parties  have  earned  its  opposition. 
The  Huguenots  were  a  sect  largely  instituted  by  the  creed 
formulated  by  John  Calvin.  He  organized  this  force  in 
France,  and  by  his  earnest  appeals  to  throw  off  the  Catholic 
authority  he  became  an  opposition,  an  object  of  contention 
and  the  foundation  for  conflict. 

Before  Martin  Luther  declared  his  ninety-five  theses  as 
the  true  theolog}^  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  there  were  men 
in  the  University  of  Paris,  and  elsewhere  in  France,  who 
were  advocating  a  change  in  the  established  worship,  much 
on  the  same  basis  as  that  advocated  by  Luther,  and  when 
the  German  movement  became  known,  the  land  of  France 
was  soon  filled  with  heretics,  who  were  loudly  demanding 
the  overthrow  of  Catholic  religious  ideas  and  the  establish- 
ment of  their  own. 

In  no  other  country  was  the  prospect  for  the  spread  of 


The  Huguenots.  183 

Protestantism  so  good  as  in  France.  In  a  large  measure,  it 
became  a  political  as  well  as  a  religious  movement.  Three 
things  had  hitherto  influenced  the  religious  feelings  of  the 
French  people:  the  ancient  Albigensian  religion  that  opposed 
the  Roman  Church  in  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries,  the 
Lutheran  movement  of  Germany,  and  the  Huguenot,  or  John 
Calvin's  theology,  that  was  now  agitating  France.  But  now 
a  fourth  influence  comes  into  the  actual  conflict  and  is 
responsible  for  the  long-continued  struggle  and  its  terrible 
persecutions.  This  new  force  was  the  adoption  of  this  religious 
movement  by  many  of  the  nobles  and  secular  chiefs  for  the 
purpose  of  temporal  power.  These  chiefs  could  see  that  in 
the  rapid  growth  of  church  opposition  there  might  be  an 
opportunity  of  overthrowing  the  government  of  France  and 
establishing  independent  kingdoms.  In  this  new  combina- 
tion we  find  Prince  Anthony  of  Bourbon,  king  of  Navarre, 
and  Prince  Louis  of  Conde,  who  were  powerful  in  protect- 
ing the  Huguenots  from  the  laws  that  were  decreed  against 
heretics.  It  now  became  a  conflict  between  contending  royal 
forces,  and  not  a  direct  religious  revolt.  These  Bourbon 
princej  were  next  in  line  as  heirs  to  the  throne  of  France, 
and  encouraged  the  Huguenots  to  form  a  conspiracy,  seize 
the  person  of  the  king,  and  place  the  reins  of  government  into 
their  uands,  but  in  this  they  were  defeated,  as  the  plot  was 
discovered  and  the  leader,  La  Renaudie,  was  captured  and 
put  to  death,  while  the  real  conspirator,  Prince  Conde,  escaped 
conviction. 

From  this  time  on  a  .terrible  conflict  was  waged — defensory 
on  one  side  and  exterminatory  on  the  other.    In  1560  an  edict 


184  Christian  Persecutions. 

was  issued,  giving  the  right  to  bishops  to  inquire  into  heresy 
and  if  they  found  rebellious  or  tumultuous  assemblies  of 
Huguenots  who,  in  their  opinion,  were  creating  a  disturbance 
against  the  Church,  they  could  use  their  secular  power  and 
demand  immediate  dispersion  of  the  gathering,  never  to  meet 
again.  What  is  known  in  history  as  the  "massacre  of  Vassy" 
was  the  result  of  the  enforcement  of  this  authority,  and  is 
related  as  follows:  The  Duke  of  Guise,  one  of  the  strongest 
adherents  of  the  king  and  the  Roman  Church,  while  passing 
through  the  country  with  a  body  of  armed  attendants,  came 
to  a  place  called  Vassy,  where  they  found  a  company  of 
Huguenots  assembled  in  a  barn  for  worship.  The  Duke  in- 
quired the  objects  of  this  assemblage,  and  being  answered 
somewhat  evasively,  became  insulting,  and  in  his  anger  he 
attempted  to  exercise  his  authority  and  demanded  that  the 
assembly  should  disperse,  which,  not  being  complied  with, 
he  ordered  his  attendants  to  make  an  attack,  which  resulted 
in  the  killing  of  forty  and  the  wounding  of  many  more. 

The  Huguenots  now  rose  throughout  all  France  in  open 
revolt.  They  were  led  by  Admiral  Coligny  and  the  Prince  of 
Conde  and  the  civil  wars  that  followed  displayed  a  ferocity 
of  disposition  that  was  more  befitting  pagans  than  Christians. 
It  was  a  series  of  assassinations,  massacres  and  butcheries. 
It  was  not  a  Christianized  conflict  of  forces,  but  the  lamentable 
disposition  of  barbaric  revenge.  Families  were  murdered  in 
cold  blood,  villages  were  sacked  and  burned,  cities  were 
captured,  and  multitudes  slain.  It  was  a  war  of  extermination, 
and  not  conquest.  Men  acted  like  wild  beasts,  and  could  not  be 
sated  with  blood.    The  insane  passion  of  destruction,  ruin  and 


The  Huguenots.  185 

bloodshed  marked  the  career  of  these  contending  forces.  To 
be  a  Huguenot,  was  to  be  an  outlaw  against  the  nation.  To 
be  a  Catholic,  was  to  be  a  foe  to  toleration  and  Christianity. 
It  was  a  deadly  hatred  in  which  there  was  no  conquest  except 
the  conquest  of  death,  no  forgiveness,  no  compromise,  no 
yielding  to  the  dictates  of  reason.  It  was  the  outpouring  of 
hell's  revolution.  Christ  and  Christianity  were  lost  in  this 
whirlpool  of  fiendish  desperation.  The  Church  of  God  was 
trampled  beneath  the  feet  of  bloodthirsty  vandals. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  not  all  this  ter- 
rible carnage  was  the  result  of  religious  contention,  but  was 
instigated  by  the  political  ambitions  of  men.  The  Huguenots 
were  used  as  a  cat's-paw  to  stir  up  insurrections,  to  incite 
religious  animosities,  to  precipitate  civil  war,  and  to  be  the 
means  of  placing  the  arch  leaders  in  power.  These  ambitious 
princes  cared  nothing  for  religion.  In  heart  they  were  neither 
Catholic  nor  Protestant.  They  cared  nothing  for  the  dis- 
tinction of  creed.  They  professed  the  Huguenot  faith  in 
order  to  use  them  in  the  overthrow  of  the  government  and 
in  establishing  their  own  power.  They  sought  the  blackest 
warfare  to  intensify  the  undying  hatred  of  those  who  suf- 
fered from  the  persecutions  of  others. 

As  we  follow  this  terrible  period  of  successive  wars,  we 
find  that  sieges,  battles,  and  truces  follow  each  other  in 
rapid  rotation,  while  conspiracies,  treacheries,  plots,  and  as- 
sassinations form  one  long  line  of  deeds  disgraceful  to  Chris- 
tian civilization.  Well  may  it  be  called  the  period  of  treach- 
eries. No  house  was  free  from  the  dreadful  expectation  of 
losing  a  member  by  the  knife  of  the  murderer.     If  he  Avas  a 

(13) 


186  Christian  Persecutions. 

Protestant,  he  feared  the  treachery  of  some  CathoHc;  and  it 
he  was  a  Catholic,  he  feared  the  pledged  secrecy  of  the  Hugue- 
not to  strike  some  fatal  blow.  It  was  a  time  of  constant  alarm, 
constant  sacrifice  of  life,  constant  traitorous  condition  of 
society. 

The  Catholics  were  defied  from  every  direction,  villified, 
and  slandered  for  things  they  never  did.  The  great  massacre 
on  St.  Bartholomew's  Day,  August  24,  1572,  was  not  the  work 
of  the  Catholic  Church.  It  was  the  planned  revenge  of 
Catherine  de  Medici,  to  prevent  the  Bourbon  family  from 
ascending  the  throne.  Catherine  was  the  mother  of  the  then 
king  of  France,  Charles  IX,  and  history  informs  us  that  no 
woman  ever  lived  who  was  guilty  of  so  much  crime,  treachery, 
and  bloodshed  as  Catherine  de  Medici.  Her  ambition  knew 
no  bounds,  and  nothing  stood  in  her  way  or  prevented  her 
from  achieving  her  ends.  Life  was  nothing  to  her  in  the  ac- 
complishment of  her  purposes.  But  for  her,  the  world  would 
never  have  felt  the  disgrace  of  this  most  terrible  deed  of 
bloody  assassination — the  massacre  of  the  Huguenots  on  St. 
Bartholomew's  Day.  It  was  this  woman's  treachery  that 
caused  the  fatal  order  to  be  signed  for  that  awful  butchery. 
It  was  she  who  planned  the  execution  of  the  plot,  and  who 
obtained  the  order  from  Charles  IX.  This  horrible  crime  will 
ever  remain  a  black  stain  upon  the  fair  fame  of  the  sunny 
kingdom  of  France. 

In  order  that  the  readers  of  this  narration  of  history  may 
understand  the  real  motives  which  led  to  this  disastrous  result, 
we  will  explain  its  origin:  After  a  succession  of  wars  ending 
in  1570,  a  treaty  of  peace,  called,  "The  Treaty  of  St.  Germain," 


The  Huguenots.  187 

was  agreed  upon,  which  was  very  favorable  to  the  Huguenots, 
giving  them  several  towns  to  hold  as  pledges  of  safety,  with 
the  privilege  of  fortifying  and  giving  protection  to  the  Prot- 
estants. Amon^  these  towns  was  La  Rochelle,  the  stronghold 
of  this  reform  faith,  which,  in  later  years,  became  the  seat 
of  the  last  great  religious  wars  of  France.  To  cement  this 
treaty,  the  Princess  Marguerite,  the  sister  of  Charles  IX,  was 
to  wed  the  young  king  of  Navarre,  Henry  of  Bourbon.  This 
proposed  alliance  united  the  two  contending  forces  of  nobility 
and,  in  sentiment,  the  opposing  religious  creeds.  Great  re- 
joicing was  made  manifest  over  all  France.  Catholics  and 
Protestants  were  equally  joyful  over  the  prospective  settle- 
ment of  civil  strife.  Even  the  chiefs  of  both  lines  of  nobility 
crowded  to  Paris  to  attend  the  wedding,  which  took  place 
August  18,  1572.  Among  the  Protestant  nobles  who  came 
was  Admiral  Coligny,  who  immediately  sought  the  presence 
of  Charles  IX,  and,  being  of  strong  and  impressive  demeanor, 
won  favors  from  the  king  that  were  distasteful  to  the  queen- 
mother,  Catherine  de  Medici,  who  resolved  to  render  these 
favors  fruitless  by  procuring  the  assassination  of  the  admiral. 
The  plot  was  unsuccessful,  and  Coligny  was  only  slightly 
wounded.  The  object  of  Coligny  was  to  influence  the  king 
against  Catherine,  his  mother,  and  the  Guises,  who  Were 
sworn  enemies  of  his. 

The  Huguenots  immediately  rallied  to  the  support  of  their 
wounded  chieftain  and  were  loud  in  threats  of  revenge.  Cath- 
erine was  filled  with  great  fear.  Her  attempted  assassination 
had  proved  a  failure,  and  she  was  in  constant  alarm,  owing 
to    her   fear   of   being   arrested    or   denounced    by    her   son 


188  Christian  Persecutions. 

for  this  baseless  treachery.  To  place  herself  in  a  favorable 
position  she  immediately  submitted  to  the  king  the  supposed 
evidence  of  a  Huguenot  plot  to  take  the  life  of  the  king  and 
place  Henry  of  Bourbon  on  the  throne.  She  even  repre- 
sented that  this  plot  contemplated  the  assassination  of  the 
whole  royal  family  and  all  the  leaders  of  the  Catholic  party. 
She  pleaded  with  her  son  to  save  his  household,  his  kingdom, 
and  his  Church.  She  declared  there  was  only  one  way  that 
this  could  be  done.  As  the  whole  Huguenot  faith  was  allied 
against  him,  it  was  too  late  to  arrest,  but  that  he  could  execute 
to  her  an  order  of  defense  which  could,  if  necessary,  be  secretly 
put  into  effect.  At  first  the  king  refused  to  sign  this  order, 
but  upon  further  entreaty  he  was  overcome  by  his  mother 
and  signed  the  decree  for  the  arrest  or  assassination  of  every 
Huguenot  in  Paris  at  such  time  as  Catherine  deemed  it  best 
for  the  safety  of  the  royal  family.  On  signing  this  decree  the 
king  said:  "I  agree  to  the  scheme,  providing  not  one  Hugue- 
not be  left  alive  in  France  to  reproach  me  with  the  deed." 

Catherine  was  successftil  in  making  effective  her  plans  of 
revenge.  She  held  the  decree  ordering,  at  her  will,  the  arrest 
or  assassination  of  every  Huguenot  in  France.  The  schemes 
of  Admiral  Coligny  would  be  frustrated  by  his  death.  There 
would  be  no  arrests.  It  would  be  a  carefully-laid  plan  of 
awful  murders,  conspiracies,  or  assassinations.  Not  one 
enemy  of  Catherine  should  escape.  The  hated  nobles,  princes, 
and  laymen  should  feel  the  full  force  of  a  woman's  persecu- 
tion. The  royal  family  of  Huguenots  should  die.  Not  one 
should  remain  alive  to  foment  discord,  to  preach  reform, 
or  denounce  the  plots  of  Catherine.     Now  a  state  of  uncon- 


The  Huguenots.  189 

trolled  hatred,  passion  and  power  should  prevail.  She  would 
plan  for  extermination,  not  victory;  it  should,  however,  be 
the  silent  treachery  of  confidence,  not  an  honorable  conflict. 
It  should  be  in  the  midday  of  night,  not  in  open  battle.  It 
should  be  when  men  slept  and  dreamed  of  peace  and  security. 
It  should  be  announced  by  a  preconcerted  signal — the  tolling 
of  a  bell. 

It  was  midnight  of  St.  Bartholomew's  Day  when  this 
woman  gave  the  signal.  Her  army  of  followers  were  posted 
everywhere.  The  bell  tolled  and  the  massacre  began.  The 
first  victim  to  fall  was  Admiral  Coligny.  After  the  assassin 
had  finished  his  work  the  body  was  dragged  to  a  window  and 
thrown  to  the  street  below  in  order  that  the  Duke  of  Guise 
might  see  that  his  enemy  was  indeed  dead.  To  describe  this 
scene  of  butchery  would  be  to  repeat  the  scenes  of  Nero's 
persecutions.  Without  thought  or  warning  these  bloodthirsty 
allies  of  Catherine,  a  woman,  a  mother,  stealthily  entered  the 
houses  of  their  victims,  and  with  cool  calculations  of  premedi- 
tated murder,  executed  her  awful  orders.  The  number  of  vic- 
tims is  variously  estimated  from  10,000  to  25,000  in  all  France, 
and  from  3,000  to  8,000  in  Paris  alone. 

History  written  with  religious  bias  docs  not  fully  explain 
the  cause  of  this  awful  tragedy.  It  is  loud  in  the  denunciation 
of  Catholic  conspiracy,  when  Catholics,  like  the  Huguenots, 
were  in  reality  used  to  further  the  designs  of  those  in  power, 
or  those  seeking  power.  To  prove  this,  we  find  that  the  whole 
civilized  world,  both  Catholics  and  Protestants,  loudly  con- 
demned this  wholesale  slaughter.  The  originators  of  the 
scheme  were  denounced  as  the  greatest  living  enemies  of  all 


190  Christian  Persecutions. 

Christianity,  and  that  no  honorable  Christian  could,  for  a 
moment,  countenance  it.  Pope  Gregory  XIII  was  informed 
tliat  it  was  a  Huguenot  conspiracy  to  destroy  the  royal  family, 
and  on  the  report  that  the  conspirators  had  failed,  he  held  a 
feast  of  thanksgiving  for  their  deliverance,  but  when  he  ascer- 
tained the  true  situation  he  mourned  over  the  occurrence  and 
repeatedly  expressed  his  abhorrence  at  the  cowardly  acts  of 
those  who  planned  the  deed. 

This  black  page  in  French  history  only  served  to  arouse 
the  Huguenots  to  a  more  determined  defense  of  their  proposed 
system  of  reform.  They  believed  their  conflicts  were  wholly 
due  to  religious  questions:  that  they  were  being  persecuted 
because  they  were  not  Catholics;  that  it  was  purely  a  religious 
war.  They  little  understood  the  deep  current  that  controlled 
the  stream  of  conflict,  and  from  these  misunderstandings  they 
became  more  bitter  than  ever,  more  determined  to  denounce 
the  Church  of  Rome,  and  more  determined  to  advance  their 
doctrine  of  worship. 

We  now  come  to  a  peculiar  combination  of  events  in  the 
history  of  the  French  government.  Charles  IX  soon  died 
and  Henry  III  succeeded  him,  and  for  fifteen  years  of  his 
reign  there  was  a  constant  state  of  turmoil  and  war.  The 
king  became  jealous  of  the  popularity  of  the  Duke  of  Guise 
and  caused  him  to  be  assassinated.  In  revenge  for  this  treach- 
ery, a  Dominican  monk  stabbed  the  king  with  a  dagger,  and 
thus  ended  the  House  of  Valois-Orleans.  Henry  of  Bourbon, 
king  of  Navarre,  now  came  to  the  throne  as  Henry  IV,  and 
what  the  conspirator — Catherine — had  sought  to  prevent, 
was  now  an  accomplished  fact.     Henry  was  the  first  of  the 


The  Huguenots.  191 

Bourbons,  and  being  a  Protestant,  and  leader  of  the  Hugue- 
nots, was  not  well  received  by  the  Catholics.  The  majority 
of  the  nation  were  Roman  Catholics,  and  it  is  hard  to  con- 
ceive how  a  Protestant  prince  and  the  leader  of  the  hated 
Huguenots  could  govern  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  his 
people. 

Peace  was  of  short  duration  and  civil  war  again  com- 
menced its  awful  deeds  of  violence.  The  Catholics  declared 
that  Cardinal  Bourbon,  an  uncle  of  Henry,  was  by  right  the 
possessor  of  the  throne,  and  sought  to  establish  his  claims. 
Philip  n  of  Spain  assisted  the  Catholics,  and  Elizabeth  of 
England  aided  the  Huguenots.  After  four  years  of  strife 
Henry  was  constrained  by  a  powerful  influence  to  renounce 
the  Huguenot  faith  and  adopt  that  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church.  Henry  was  personally  liked  by  the  Catholic  chiefs, 
and  to  stand  in  great  favor  with  them,  was  to  become  a  Cath- 
olic and  thus  stop  these  disastrous  wars.  He  considered  not 
only  the  policy  so  far  as  he  himself  was  concerned,  but  it 
would  remove  all  obstacles  to  a  speedy  peace.  The  country 
was  tired  of  war  and  bloodshed,  and  to  do  this  would  stop  the 
plans  to  place  Cardinal  Bourbon  on  the  throne,  and  in  due 
regard  to  peace  and  Christianity  it  became  his  duty  to  declare 
in  favor  of  the  Catholics. 

As  soon  as  Henry  became  the  acknowledged  and  undis- 
puted king  of  France,  he  commenced  to  build  up  its  wasted 
energies  and  to  restore  its  lost  fortunes.  In  1598,  April  15th, 
he  issued  the  celebrated  Edict  of  Nantes,  which  gave  to  the 
Huguenots  religious  freedom  and  opened  to  them  the  avenues 
of  employment  and  the  right  to  hold  office.     He  also  gave 


192  Christian  Persecutions. 

them  a  large  number  of  fortified  towns  in  which  they  could 
have  refuge,  and  defense,  among  which  was  the  previously 
mentioned  city  of  La  Rochelle.  France  now  entered  upon  a 
period  of  wonderful  prosperity.  Trade,  commerce,  and  indus- 
tries thrived  on  every  hand.  Religious  toleration  was  hailed 
with  joy  by  both  Catholics  and  Protestants.  The  Huguenots 
were  no  longer  clamoring  for  the  overthrow  of  Catholic 
rights.  They  were  content  to  spread  their  faith  by  the  natural 
process — the  expansion  of  ideas.  It  was  a  season  of  peace, 
and  though  there  slumbered  a  latent  hatred  to  all  things  Cath- 
olic, yet  glad  at  the  beautiful  brightness  of  a  new  sunrise, 
they  curbed  their  passions  and  prejudices,  and  lived  content  in 
the  assurances  that  a  terrible  storm  had  ended  and  a  glorious 
day  was  dawned. 

For  twelve  years  the  beautiful  winged  emblem  of  peace 
had  floated  over  the  empire  of  France,  when  suddenly  the 
clear  sky  was  rent  by  the  bolt  of  assassination.  A  fanatic  by 
the  name  of  Ravaillac,  who  regarded  Henry  IV  as  an  enemy 
of  the  Catfiolic  Church,  planned  an  assassination  by  which 
the  king  met  his  death.  This  was  a  sad  blow  to  the  peace 
and  prosperity  of  France,  for  with  the  death  of  Henry  the 
Huguenots  lost  a  true  friend,  although  he  had  renounced 
their  faith.  With  Henry  it  was  toleration,  and  peace,  and 
good  will  to  all.  He  worked  for  harmony,  and  in  a  large 
measure  had  been  successful.  He  was  loved  by  Catholics, 
revered  by  the  Huguenots,  and  in  the  administration  of  affairs 
was  just  to  all. 

Louis  XIII,  his  son,  succeeded  him,  but  being  a  child  of 
nine  vears,  the  government  was  administered  by  Mary  de 


The  Huguenots.  193 

Medici,  his  mother,  until  Louis  attained  his  majority,  where- 
upon he  chose  Cardinal  Richelieu  for  his  prime  minister. 
Richelieu  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  characters  of  the 
seventeenth  century.  From  the  moment  he  was  chosen  by 
Louis  he  became  the  virtual  ruler  of  France,  and  history 
informs  us  that  for  twenty  years  he  was  the  great  dictator 
of  the  destinies,  not  only  of  France,  but  in  a  large  measure, 
of  all  Europe.  Richelieu's  policy  was  to  place  the  King  of 
France  in  absolute  authority  of  all  the  people  of  his  govern- 
ment regardless  of  toleration;  and,  secondly,  to  make  the 
power  of  his  sovereign  the  supreme  power  of  Europe. 

To  obtain  supreme  control  over  the  people  of  France, 
Richelieu  must  first  subdue  the  political  power  of  the  Hugue- 
nots, who  were  strongly  aided  by  their  royal  princes  and 
nobles;  and  to  control  the  destinies  of  Europe,  he  must  break 
down  the  power  of  both  lines  of  the  House  of  Hapsburg.  As 
the  House  of  Hapsburg  meant  Austria  and  Spain,  Richelieu 
must  bend  his  energies  to  crush  both  countries.  As  the 
Huguenots  were  dissatisfied  with  their  condition  under  Rich- 
elieu they  determined  to  form  an  independent  commonwealth 
on  the  southwestern  coast  of  France,  with  La  Rochelle  as  its 
capital.  Accordingly,  in  1G27,  they  formed  an  alliance  with 
England,  and  an  English  fleet  and  army  were  sent  to  institute 
and  protect  this  new  Republic.  Richelieu  now  determined  to 
crush  forever  the  nobility  of  the  Huguenots,  and  personally 
led  an  army  to  the  siege  of  La  Rochelle,  which  stubbornly 
resisted  his  repeated  attacks  for  more  than  a  year,  but  was 
finally  overpowered  and,  in  1628,  surrendered  to  French  au- 
thority.   Richelieu  was  so  determined  in  his  conquest  that  he 


104  Christian  Persecutions. 

ordered  the  fortifications  of  La  Rochelle  to  "be  razed  to  the 
ground,  in  such  wise  that  the  plow  may  plow  through  the 
soil  as  though  tilled  land." 

The  Huguenots  maintained  a  desperate  resistance  for  a 
few  months  longer,  but  were  finally  reduced  to  submission. 
The  political  power  of  the  French  Protestants  was  now  com- 
pletely broken.  The  Huguenot  chiefs  were  divested  of  author- 
ity, and  the  first  great  move  of  Richelieu  had  been  performed. 
France  was  now  in  complete  subjection  to  the  royal  power 
of  Louis,  King  of  France.  A  treaty  oi  peace  was  negotiated, 
called  the  Edict  of  Grace,  which  accorded  to  all  the  freedom 
of  worship.  While  the  Huguenots  had  lost  their  power  of 
government  and  were  stripped  of  all  sovereignty,  yet  Car- 
dinal RicheHeu,  in  the  wisdom  of  toleration,  refused  no  man 
the  right  to  worship  and  to  proclaim  his  belief  to  the  world. 

Many  historians  declare  that  the  years  of  strife  and  blood- 
shed cover  the  years  of  the  persecution  of  religious  worship; 
this  charge,  however,  by  the  recorded  actions  of  Richelieu  in 
his  Edict  of  Grace,  must  be  denied.  It  was  not  a  persecution 
of  faith,  but  the  subjection  of  rebellious  Huguenot  chiefs  who, 
under  the  cloak  of  a  Protestant  faith,  sought  to  dismember 
France,  and,  unable  to  control  the  government,  would  set  up 
an  independent  republic  of  their  own.  While  religious  fanat- 
icism swayed  the  multitude,  and  wars  of  unrelenting  hate 
had  desolated  France  for  more  than  two  generations,  and 
though  she  lost  through  massacres,  assassinations,  and  wars 
more  than  a  million  lives,  yet  the  real  issue  was  not  religion, 
but  war  for  place,  preferment,  and  power.  The  nobility  were 
divided  and  to  foment  strife  the  innocent  Catholics  and  Prot- 
estants were  arrayed  against  each  other  in  deadly  combat. 


The  Huguenots.  195 

Let  us  again  return  to  Richelieu  and  mark  a  curious 
feature:  The  Thirty  Years'  War  of  Germany  was  in  its  wildest 
rage,  and  Richelieu,  who  had  just  crushed  PVench  Protestant- 
ism in  France,  now  gives  aid  to  the  Protestant  princes  of 
(icrmany.  The  solution  of  this  mystery  is  that  the  success  of 
the  German  princes  means  a  division  of  Germany  and  the 
humiliation  of  Austria,  one  branch  of  the  House  of  Hapsburg. 
l^ichelieu  did  not  live  to  see  the  closing  of  the  Thirty  Years' 
War  or  the  humiliation  of  Austria  and  Spain,  but  the  foreign 
policy  of  the  great  minister  was  carried  out  by  others,  and 
both  branches  of  the  House  of  Hapsburg  were  dethroned,  and 
the  second  great  object  of  Richelieu  was  accomplished. 

Thus  closed  the  religious-political  wars  of  France.  To 
the  people  it  had  been  a  fighting  for  faith  and  the  overthrow 
of  those  contending  against  them,  while  with  the  leaders  it 
was  the  procurement  of  individual  power.  The  loss  to  France 
was  most  terrible,  and  its  effect  demoralizing.  The  loss  of 
life  could  be  measured  by  numbers,  but  the  loss  of  confidence 
was  beyond  computation.  Industries  were  ruined,  trade  sup- 
pressed, and  commerce  gone.  The  people  were  slow  to  re- 
cover their  enthusiasm,  even  of  worship.  The  spirit  of  prog- 
ress was  dead,  and  they  stood  as  dazed  at  the  awful  wreck 
that  was  around  them. 

While  we  view  with  horror  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholo- 
mew's Day,  yet  we  find  on  the  counter  page  of  history  a  start- 
ling array  of  carnage,  vandalism  and  bloodshed.  We  find 
that  the  history  of  France  is  filled  with  the  most  atrocious 
deeds  of  violence  which  the  "faithful"  allowed  themselves  to 
commit  on  the  "Papists"  and  their  "idolatrous  worship."     To 


196  Christian  Persecutions. 

quote  from  history,   we  find  that  "during  a  period   of  forty 
years   over  five  thousand  priests  and  members  of  reHgious 
orders  suffered  martyrdom.    The  inhuman  atrocities  of  which 
these  Protestants  were  guilty  had  not  even  the  excuse  of  being 
the  effect  of  sudden  excitement;  they  were  performed  at  the 
instigation  and  with  the  approbation  of  Calvinistic  preachers 
and  synods.    The  principal  scene  of  devastation  was  Southern 
France.    Many  churches  were  torn  down;  the  Catholic  priests 
were  ill-treated  and  driven  away;  pictures,  relics,  and  in  some 
places — as  at  Nismes  (1561),  where  Viret  had  stirred  up  the 
passions  of  the  populace — even  the  Sacred  Hosts  were  given 
to  the  flames.    Similar  outbursts  of  wild  fanaticism  took  place 
at  Paris  (December,  1561),  where  the  Huguenots  took  the 
church  of  Medardus  by  storm,  ill-treated  the  Catholics,  and 
trampled  under  foot  the  consecrated  Hosts.  Matters  were  even 
worse  yet  in  the  little  kingdom  of  Berne.     Here  the  regent 
was  Johanna  d'Albret,  wife  of  Anthony  of  Bourbon,  who  in 
1563  had  become  a  Calvinist.    She  deposed  the  Catholics  from 
their   dignities,   expelled   the   priests,   and   replaced   them   by 
preachers;  while,  at  the  instance  of  the  latter,  she  forbade  the 
exercise  of  Catholic  worship.     Those  of  the  inhabitants  who 
resisted  this  command  were  severely  punished,  and  the  priests 
who  refused  to  apostatize  were  cruelly  murdered. 

"In  Montpellier  the  Huguenots  destroyed  forty-six 
churches;  in  Orleans,  nineteen;  in  the  kingdom  of  Berne,  Col- 
igny  had  three  hundred  churches  demolished.  In  Uzes,  Nis- 
mes, Viviers,  and  Mende,  five  hundred  churches  were  torn 
down.  The  magnificent  cathedral  at  Beziers  was  transformed 
into  a  stable.     About  one  hundred  and  fifty  cathedrals  and 


The  Huguenots.  197 

abbeys  were  ruined  with  the  brutality  of  vandaHsm,  the  'idola- 
trous pictures'  burnt,  the  sacred  vessel  desecrated.  At  Nismes 
the  Huguenots  murdered  eighty  Catholics  of  good  standing, 
and  cast  their  bodies  into  the  'bloody  Springs.'  In  Sully, 
Coligny  had  thirty-five  priests  made  away  with  and  their 
bodies  thrown  into  the  Loir.  In  Pithiviers  he  had  all  the 
priests  hanged.  When  Gabriel  de  Lorges,  Count  of  Mont- 
gomery, had  freed  Berne,  in  1569,  from  French  troops,  he 
caused  three  thousand  Catholics  of  every  age,  sex,  and  con- 
dition to  be  hewn  down,  the  churches  to  be  laid  in  ashes,  etc. 
The  Calvinist  synod  of  Lescar  demanded  that  everyone  should 
be  forced  to  attend  the  Calvinistic  sermons.  Can  we  wonder 
that  by  such  conduct  on  the  part  of  the  Huguenots  and  their 
leaders,  the  French  Catholics,  who  constituted  the  immense 
majority,  were  driven  beyond  all  bounds?" 

Such  is  the  record  of  history.  It  was  not  a  one-sided  per- 
secution. The  Protestants  were  taught  that  the  Pope  and  his 
Church  were  robbers  of  personal  liberty  and  of  personal  wor- 
ship; that  they  were  conspirators;  instruments  in  the  hands 
of  the  Church  to  destroy  all  reformation  or  opposition;  that 
their  worship  was  the  institution  of  the  devil  and  ought  to  be 
destroyed;  that  their  images  and  pictures  were  defamatory  of 
God's  holy  command;  that  the  image  of  the  Blessed  Holy 
Virgin  was  an  insult  to  Christianity.  All  these  and  more  were 
the  teachings  of  the  Reformation.  They  believed  they  had 
received  divine  inspiration  through  Calvin  and  Martin  Luther. 
They  were  the  elect  and  God's  chosen  people,  and  that  it  was 
His  command  to  compel  the  spreading  of  this  "true  gospel*' 
of  worship. 


198  Christian  Persecutions. 

We  might  continue  and  write  a  volume  in  narration  of  the 
events  which  interested  France  through  her  cruel  wars,  extend- 
ing over  a  period  of  sixty-six  years — 1562  to  1628 — but  enough 
has  been  said  to  give  an  idea  of  the  cause  and  effect  of  this 
awful  devastation  of  life  and  property,  and  the  persecution  of 
Christianity.  It  explains  the  motive  power  of  conflict  and  con- 
quest. It  explains  that  no  war  would  ever  have  been  waged 
had  it  not  been  for  the  division  of  royal  power  and  its  jealous 
ambitions.  While  the  rank  and  file  fought  for  the  principles  of 
faith,  yet  we  are  not  oblivious  to  the  fact  that  these  people  were 
misled  by  the  powers  that  were  above  them.  In  almost  every 
event  of  any  particular  note,  we  can  trace  the  selfish  motive 
of  some  designing  person.  At  the  Massacre  of  Vassy,  a 
renowned  record  of  history,  we  find  the  cause  to  be  the  over- 
bearing command  of  the  Duke  of  Guise,  who  provoked  a 
quarrel  and  then  made  an  assault,  while  the  tragedy  of  St. 
Bartholomew's  Day  was  the  conspiracy  of  royal  scheming. 
So  we  may  trace  the  animus  of  these  terrible  persecutions  to 
some  cause  not  directly  religious,  but  in  general  foreign  to 
any  doctrine  of  worship. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  SPANISH  INQUISITION. 

F)ROBABLY  there  is  no  institution,  or  name,  or  feature  of 
*  Catholic  origin,  or  anything  representing  Cathohc  au- 
thority, that  is  so  httle  understood  and  so  loudlv  and  violently 
condemned  by  Protestants,  as  the  Spanish  Inquisition.  So 
strong  has  become  the  prejudice  against  this  institution  that 
its  name  has  become  the  synonym  for  all  that  indicates  intol- 
eration,  persecution,  misery,  inhumanity,  and  the  most  excni- 
ciating  cruelty,. 

Every  Protestant  has  been  taught  the  awful  horrors 
recorded  as  having  been  committed  by  this  institution,  and 
he  was  also  instructed  by  the  same  teachers  that  the  penalties 
prescribed  and  exacted  were  authorized  by  the  Catholic 
Church.  Thus  did  the  Spanish  Inquisition  become  associated  - 
with  or  at  least  a  part  of  the  history  of  this  Cluirch.  It  seems 
as  though  Protestant  historians  took  delight  in  holding  up  this 
institution  as  authorized  by  Catholic  authority,  and  asserting 
that  if  the  Catholic  religion  should  again  obtain  dominion 
over  the  earth,  the  same  results  would  inevitably  follow. 

As  a  proof  that  this  is  the  feeling  among  Protestants  I  may 
cite  my  own  state  of  mind  before  I  determined  to  investigate 
the  matter  for  my  own  edification  and  satisfaction.  While  I 
do  not  claim  to  be  highly  educated,  nor  can  I  be  charged 
with  a  low  order  of  ignorance,  yet  I  must  say  that  in  my  varied 
researches  in  history,  in  my  official  duties,  my  extensive  read- 

199 


200  Christian  Persecutions. 

ings,  I  failed  to  find  that  any  particular  or  special  Protestant 
history  of  this  institution  existed,  except  that  oft-repeated 
story  that  it  was  a  tribunal  of  torture  established  by  Catholic 
authority,  and  that  the  less  we  investig-ated  it  the  more  char- 
itable we  could  be  in  covering  up  this  black  page  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  Church.  I  believed  from  what  I  had  learned  that 
it  was  a  chapter  so  vile,  so  terribly  inhuman,  and  so  wretched 
in  all  its  details  of  cruelty,  that  it  would  be  far  better  to  forget 
than  to  investigate. 

In  my  youth  I  had  been  taught  the  awful  tortures  inflicted 
by  this  Inquisition.  My  nursery-books  were  sure  to  contain 
some  harrowing  tale  of  martyred  individuals,  such  as  pictures 
of  men  hanging  by  their  thumbs;  machines  for  twisting  and 
crushing  the  feet  and  dislocating  of  joints;  pouring  boiling 
oil,  or  pitch,  into  the  boots  of  the  victims;  cutting  oflf  hands, 
feet,  ears,  nose,  tongue;  skinning  alive;  roasting,  and  burning; 
strangling,  suffocating,  and  other  forms  of  cruelty.  One  pic- 
ture in  particular,  which  has  ever  haunted  me,  was  that  of  a 
man  condemned  to  death  by  quartering.  This  process  con- 
sisted in  harnessing  four  horses  to  his  arms  and  legs  and 
forcing  them  to  draw  in  opposite  directions  until  the  limbs 
were  torn  from  the  body. 

So  vivid  are  these  pictures  and  their  descriptions  in  my 
imagination  that  to  forget  them,  and  the  source  from  which 
they  emanated,  would  be  an  impossibility.  To-day  the  same 
teachings  are  almost  constantly  kept  before  the  children  and, 
like  myself,  they  grow,  to  maturity  with  the  same  prejudice, 
distrust,  and  ignorance  of  the  real  facts.  But  children  cannot 
be  blamed  for  harboring  this  feeling  of  horror,  not  even  when 


The  Spanish  Inquisition.  201 

they  become  men.  They  have  had  no  other  instruction,  no 
other  form  of  Hterature,  and  no  means  of  obtaining  knowledge 
different  from  this.  Even  Cathohcs  remain  silent,  and  bear 
this  perversion  of  facts  and  their  mental  agony  without  re- 
sentment. They  make  no  voluntary  denial  of  these  charges, 
and,  as  a  natural  consequence,  Protestants  believe  that  the 
statements  are  true  and  cannot  be  denied. 

After  I  had  prepared  a  goodly  portion  of  the  manuscript 
for  this  work  I  explained  its  object  to  a  particular  friend  of 
mine,  and  I  was  astonished  to  find  that  his  belief  was  that 
since  1500  persecution  had  been  practiced  on  one  side  only. 
He  believed  that  the  history  of  the  Catholic  Church  was  a 
history  of  crime,  bloodshed,  and  persecution,  and  that  Protest- 
antism was  the  meek,  suffering  lamb,  rescued  by  divine  power 
from  the  wickedness  and  corruption  of  the  old  Roman  Church. 
"Well,"  said  he,  "there  is  one  chapter  in  the  history  of  that 
rehgion  you  will  have  to  omit,  and  that  is  the  Spanish  In- 
quisition." 

And  so  it  is.  Men  of  intelligence,  men  of  great  learning, 
and  great  ability  to  comprehend,  are  actually  ignorant  of  what 
the  Spanish  Inquisition  was,  what  power  controlled  it,  and 
how  it  came  into  existence.  Like  my  friend,  they  have  read 
only  books  which  were  published  more  for  the  sake  of  wreak- 
ing fanatical  revenge  than  for  furthering  the  cause  of  unpreju- 
diced education.  They  had  become  possessed  of  an  idea,  and 
there  that  idea  remained.  They  did  not  care  to  investigate,  as 
they  were  afraid  they  would  unearth  some  new  terrors,  and 
seemed  content  to  remain  in  silence  and  ignorance. 

Now,  before  I  enter  into  a  discussion  of  this  Inquisition 

(14.) 


202  Christian  Persecutions. 

let  me  state  to  my  readers  that  if  they  will  study  history  other 
than  that  written  by  men  whose  minds  are  warped  by  fanati- 
cism, or  by  those  who  can  see  no  good  in  the  Catholic  Church, 
they  will  find  what  I  have  found — a  new  view  of  this  institu- 
tion. While  it  is  not  my  intention  to  excuse  the  excesses  of 
this  tribunal,  or  to  deny  any  of  the  awful  deeds  of  cruelty  and 
torture  perpetrated  by  it,  yet  it  is  my  desire  to  show  to  you 
that  crime  was  never  sanctioned  by  the  Church,  that  bloodshed 
and  persecution  form  no  part  of  her  creed,  and  that  in  the 
Spanish  cruelties  the  acts  were  those  of  the  State  and  not  of 
the  Church. 

To  say  that  the  Spanish  Inquisition  did  not  practice  un- 
merciful cruelties  upon  certain  classes  of  her  people,  or  that  it 
did  not  prosecute  its  work  with  a  determined  effort  to  destroy 
all  opposition  is  to  deny  the  facts  of  history.  We  all  know  that 
this  institution  did  exist,  that  it  was  powerful  in  its  influence, 
that  it  was  instituted  under  a  law  of  the  kingdom,  and  that 
through  the  enforcement  of  the  law,  it  became  the  sole  crea- 
ture of  the  State,  Right  here  let  me  make  this  statement,  and 
I  ask  you  to  note  the  difference:  This  tribunal  was  organized 
by  the  State  for  the  purpose  of  detecting  and  punishing  crime, 
and  was  not  an  institution  established  by  the  Church.  While 
the  Kingdom  of  Spain  was  a  subdivision,  or,  in  other  words, 
a  province  under  the  general  government  of  the  Church,  yet 
the  king  was  the  niling  sovereign,  who  directed  the  making 
of  the  laws  of  his  own  government.  As  those  laws  were  inde- 
pendent of  ecclesiastical  authority,  they  cannot  be  charged 
against  the  Church.  Although  the  king  was  supposed  to  obey 
the  laws  of  the  Church  regarding  the  matter  of  faith  and  doc- 
trine, yet  in  the  g-overnment  of  his  people  he  was  supreme. 


The  Spanish  Inquisition.  203 

But  you  will  say,  was  not  Spain  Catholic,  and  as  such  was 
not  the  Church  responsible  for  allowing  these  wrongs?  In 
the  punishment  of  heresy,  did  they  not  follow  the  direction  of 
Catholic  authority?  True,  Spain  was  Catholic,  and  the  Span- 
ish Inquisition  was  a  Catholic  institution  of  that  State,  just  as 
any  law  was  a  Catholic  law.  But  because  of  this,  are  you  to 
charge  all  the  crimes  of  a  people  to  the  Church  because  those 
people  belonged  to  that  Church?  If  a  Catholic,  to-day, 
should  commit  a  crime,  must  we  charge  the  Church  with  the 
deed?  If  children  are  disobedient,  are  we  to  hold  their  par- 
ents accountable  for  the  sin? 

Now,  before  you  can  convict  the  Church  of  these  Spanish 
inhumanities,  you  must  show  some  proof  that  the  Pope,  or 
Councils,  sanctioned  such  decrees  of  punishment,  and  that 
you  cannot  do.  Not  only  did  the  head  of  the  Church  entreat 
for  moderation,  but  he  threatened  excommunication,  and  the 
infliction  of  direst  punishment.  The  Inquisitors,  however,  had 
obtained  the  power  and  would  wield  it  to  suit  their  own 
notions  of  justice. 

In  the  establishment  of  this  institution,  or  tribunal,  Ferdi- 
nand and  Isabella  set  before  Pope  Sextus  IV  that  it  was 
necessary  for  the  preservation  of  order  in  their  kingdom  to 
organize  an  Inquisition,  and  under  this  entreaty  the  Pope 
sanctioned  it,  believing  that  it  was  nothing  more  than  a  Star- 
Chamber  Tribunal  for  the  examination  of  those  charged  with 
some  crime.  The  year  following  its  introduction,  1481,  the 
Jews  complained  to  the  Pope  of  its  severity,  and  the  same 
Pontiff  issued  a  Bull  against  the  Inquisitors,  and  as  the  his- 
torian Prescott  informs  us,  "he  rebuked  their  intemperate  zeal, 


204  Christian  Persecutions. 

and  even  threatened  them  with  deprivation."  He  wrote  to 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella  that  "Mercy  towards  the  guilty  was 
more  pleasing  to  God  than  the  severity  which  they  were 
using." 

When  the  Pope  ascertained  that  his  commands  were  being 
disobeyed,  he  encouraged  the  sufferers  to  flee  to  Rome,  where 
in  two  years  he  received  and  gave  protection  to  four  hundred 
and  fifty  refugees  from  Spain.  But  I  hear  some  one  exclaim, 
why  did  the  Pope  allow  this  wrong?  If  he  sanctioned  its 
adoptioiu,  why  did  he  not  set  his  authority  against  it  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  force  its  discontinuance?  But  we  must  re- 
member that  conditions  then  were  far  different  from  condi- 
tions now.  The  whole  country  was  on  the  verge  of  a  great 
religious  revolt,  and  heresy  was  the  greatest  crime  known. 
In  less  than  half  a  century  Germany,  England,  Switzerland, 
Norway,  Holland,  and  other  countries  set  up  Protestant  gov- 
ernments. Even  France  had  been  in  the  throes  of  civil  strife, 
while  Spain  stood  alone  against  the  assaults  of  the  Reformers. 
She  saw  the  rising  tide  of  Protestantism  and  sought  to  pre- 
vent its  spread  in  her  territory,  and  in  establishing  the  Inquisi- 
tion she  did  .that  which,  in  her  judgment,  would  discourage 
this  religion,  and  suppress  that  of  the  Jews  and  Turks.  The 
laws  of  Spain  denounced  heresy  as  the  greatest  crime  of  the 
kingdom,  and  in  its  suppression  she  did  what  England  has 
done  in  Ireland  in  persecuting  the  Catholics  for  three  hundred 
years — sought  self-preservation.  As  the  ferocity  of  the  Span- 
ish Inquisition  lasted  only  about  fifteen  years,  although  the 
tribunal,  in  various  modified  forms,  existed  many  years  longer, 
the  balance-sheet  of  atrocities,  wlien  compared  with  Ireland 
alone,  is  decidedly  in  favor  of  Catholicism. 


The  Spanish  Inquisition.  205 

But  heresy  was  not  the  only  object  against  which  the  In- 
quisition exerted  its  fury.  While  it  was  organized  for  the 
ostensible  purpose  of  preventing  the  spread  of  rehgious  oppo- 
sition, it  in  reality  soon  became  the  cloak  which  covered  the 
oppression  of  the  royal  Court  of  Spain.  As  it  was  established 
by  King  Ferdinand  it  was  held  more  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
moting earthly  affairs,  than  from  motives  of  religious  zeal. 
Or,  as  we  find  the  fact  in  history,  Ferdinand  used  its  machin- 
^ery,  not  to  preserve  Catholic  faith,  but  to  uphold  and  sustain 
his  power  in  the  kingdom. 

The  Moors  and  Jews  were  looked  upon  more  as  the  ene- 
mies of  the  throne  than  as  the  enemies  of  the  Church,  and  the 
despotic  power  of  the  Inquisitors  was  directed  against  those 
who  were  suspected  of  being  against  the  Spanish  government. 

The  authorities  in  those  days  knew  no  way  of  extorting 
confessions  except  by  bodily  pain.  We  of  this  enlightened 
age  place  our  victims  in  the  sweat-box — the  Star-Chamber  of 
the  police  force — and  there  ply  the  mind  with  agonizing  ques- 
tions until,  through  sheer  exhaustion,  the  accused  yields  the 
truth.  It  may  require  days  of  this  mental  persecution  before 
his  physical  body  succumbs  to  the  strain  and  he  is  forced  to 
confess,  or,  if  he  is  obstinate  and  refuses  to  answer  the  ques- 
tions asked  him,  he  is  punished  bodily  for  contempt  of  court. 
He  may  not  have  his  body  disfigured,  for  our  laws  prevent, 
but  rest  assured  the  members  of  this  Star  Chamber  will  inflict 
correctives  that  will  induce  the  victim  to  prefer  the  sweat-box 
rather  than  suffer  these  bodily  discomforts. 

But  you  say,  this  is  all  right;  the  culprit  has  committed  a 
crime,  and  we  have  a  right  to  extort  a  confession.    Had  you 


206  Chkistian  Persecutions. 

lived  in  the  days  of  the  Reformation,  or  any  period  of  our 
world's  existence  up  to  the  nineteenth  century,  you  would  also 
have  believed  in  bodily  pain  for  the  extortion  of  confession. 
Possibly  you  may  remember  something  of  our  own  history, 
when  the  Puritans  of  New  England,  the  most  religious  Prot- 
estant denomination  in  existence,  and  who  fled  from  persecu- 
tion for  the  God-given  privilege  of  worshiping  according  to 
the  dictates  of  conscience — perliaps  you  may  remember  that 
these  persecuted  Puritans,  the  followers  of  John  Calvin,  meted 
out  the  same  punishment  for  heresy  that  was  inflicted  upon 
them  and  from  which  they  fled.  Read  your  school  history 
and  you  will  find: 

Question — What  was  the  cause  and  result  of  the  Salem 
witchcraft? 

Answer — A  superstition  prevailed  that  persons  were  sub- 
ject to  the  control  of  invisible  evil  spirits,  and  it  is  the  ac- 
cepted opinion  that  200  persons  were  accused,  150  imprisoned, 
28  condemned,  19  hanged,  and  one  pressed  to  death. 

What  a  record  for  these  Christian  Puritans  on  the  item  of 
superstition  alone!  There  was  not  a  particle  of  foundation 
for  it  except  that  evolved  by  the -imagination  of  the  ignorant. 

But  again  we  find :  "The  Quakers  were  whipped,  branded, 
had  their  ears  cut  off,  their  tongues  bored  with  hot  irons,  and 
were  banished  under  pain  of  death  in  case  of  their  return,  and 
actually  executed  on  the  gallows." 

Turn  to  your  history  again  and  ask  the  question,  "Who 
was  Roger  Williams"?  "A  Puritan,  who,  for  his  liberal  reli- 
gious opinions,  was  banished  from  Massachusetts.  When  he 
escaped  from  the  hands  of  the  Puritans  he  fled  to  Rhode 


The  Spanish  Inquisition.  207 

Island  and  took  refuge  among  the  Indians.  Canonicus,  the 
Narragansett  Chief,  gave  him  land  to  found  a  settlement, 
which  he  gratefully  named  Providence." 

Now,  while  we  are  discussing  New  England  times,  let  us 
inquire  who  was  Lord  Baltimore,  and  how  does  he  figure  in 
American  history? 

"Lord  Baltimore  was  a  Catholic,  who,  to  secure  for  his 
Churchmen  a  refuge  from  the  persecutions  which  they  were 
suffering  in  England,  came  to  America  and  secured  a  grant  of 
land  covering  considerable  territory  in  Maryland.  The  Vir- 
ginia colonies,  under  Clayborne,  started  a  rebellion  and  drove 
Lord  Baltimore,  then  governor  of  Maryland,  out  of  the  colony. 
The  Protestants,  having  obtained  a  majority  in  the  Assembly, 
excluded  Catholics  from  their  rights,  assailed  their  religion, 
and  even  declared  them  outside  the  protection  of  the  law. 
Civil  war  ensued.  At  one  time  two  governments  were  sus- 
tained— one  Protestant  and  the  other  Catholic.  In  1691,  Lord 
Baltimore  was  entirely  deprived  of  his  rights  as  proprietor, 
and  Maryland  became  a  royal  province.  In  1715,  the  fourth 
Lord  Baltimore  recovered  the  government,  and  religious 
toleration  was  again  restored." 

"To  whom  does  the  honor  of  having  first  established 
religious  freedom  in  America  belong"? 

"To  the  Roman  Catholics  of  Maryland." 

Thus  we  find,  even  in  free  America,  that  persecution  be- 
cause of  religious  beHef  was  carried  on  with  much  severity; 
and  further,  that  the  Protestants  of  our  own  country  are 
indebted  to  the  Catholics  for  setting  the  example  of  free  wor- 
ship. 


208  Christian  Persecutions. 

Suppose  I  should  tell  you  that,  during  the  reign  of  Queen 
Elizabeth  of  England,  the  most  revengeful  of  all  the  Prot- 
estant sovereigns,  the  Covenanters  of  Scotland  were  hunted 
like  wild  rabbits  through  forest  and  morass,  and  through 
mountain  and  valley,  and  shot  upon  sight,  would  you  believe 
me?  Hardly,  unless  you  have  studied  the  history  of  Scotland. 
Then  you  will  find  that  the  CathoHcs  were  not  the  only  ones 
persecuted  because  of  religion.  Yet  you  charge  the  Church 
of  Rome  with  the  horrible  executions  of  the  Spanish  govern- 
ment. 

I  must  call  your  attention  in  this  connection  to  an  incident 
that  happened  in  Philadelphia  in  1844: 

"In  the  religious  riots  of  Philadelphia  in  1844,  several 
Catholic  churches  were  burned  down  in  the  name  of  Protest- 
antism, and  houses  were  sacked.  I  was  informed  by  an  eye- 
witness that  owners  of  houses  were  obliged  to  mark  on  their 
doors  these  words,  'This  house  belongs  to  Protestants,'  in 
order  to  save  their  property  from  the  infuriated  incendiaries. 
For  these  acts  I  never  heard  of  any  retaliation  on  the  part  of 
Catholics,  and  I  hope  I  never  shall,  no  matter  how  formidable 
may  be  their  numbers,  and  tempting  the  provocation." 

Tlie  above  i-s  by  Cardinal  Gibbons  in  "The  Faith  of  Our 
Fathers." 

Again,  in  the  same  volume  we  find  a  truth  expressed  that  it 
is  well  for  all  of  us  to  consider  and  to  ask  ourselves,  why  is  it? 

"In  spite  of  the  boasted  toleration  of  our  times,  it  cannot 
be  denied  that  there  still  lurks  a  spirit  of  inquisition,  which 
does  not,  indeed,  vent  itself  in  physical  violence,  but  is,  never- 
theless, most  galling  to  its  victims.    How  many  persons  have 


The  Spanish  Inquisition.  209 

I  met  in  the  course  of  my  ministry,  who  were  ostracised  by 
their  kindred  and  friends,  driven  from  home,  nay,  disinherited 
by  their  parents,  for  the  sole  crime  of  carrying  out  the  very 
shibboleth  of  Protestantism — the  exercise  of  private  judgment, 
and  of  obeying  the  dictates  of  their  conscience,  by  embracing 
the  Catholic  faith !  Is  not  this  the  most  exquisite  torture  that 
can  be  inflicted  on  refined  natures? 

"Ah!  there  is  an  imprisonment  more  lonely  than  the  dun- 
geon; it  is  the  imprisonment  of  our  most  cherished  thoughts 
in  our  own  hearts,  without  a  member  of  the  family  with  whom 
to  communicate. 

"There  is  a  sword  more  keen  than  the  executioner's  knife; 
it  is  the  envenomed  tongue  of  obloquy  and  abuse.'  There  is  a 
banishment  less  tolerable  than  exile  from  one's  country;  it 
is  the  excommunication  from  tlie  paternal  roof,  and  from  the 
affections  of  those  we  love." 

Thus  we  find  that,  through  a  prejudiced  line  of  teaching, 
we  are  taught  to  see  the  faults  of  Catholics  more  fully  than 
those  of  the  Protestants,  and  possibly  we  may  find  that  the 
one  is  exaggerated,  while  the  other  is  suppressed. 

But  let  us  return  to  the  Spanish  Inquisition.  Like  our 
own  sweat-box,  those  who  were  suspected  of  crime  were  given 
into  the  hands  of  the  Inquisitors,  who  sought  to  force  them 
to  divulge  their  connection  therewith.  If  the  victim  refused 
to  disclose  his  knowledge  of  the  crime,  deed,  or  plot,  he  was 
subjected  to  cruel  tortures  of  the  body.  The  infliction  of  pen- 
alties was  measured  according  to  the  enormity  of  the  crime 
committed  and  the  supposed  value  of  the  information  to  be 
gained.    When  persons  were  condemned  to  death,  such  means 


210  Christian  Persecutions. 

were  used  as,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Inquisitors,  was  most 
fitting  for  the  crime  alleged  against  them. 

Even  to-day  there  are  people  who  would  have  the  mur- 
derer condemned  to  the  same  death  as  that  sufifered  by  his 
victim,  the  execution  to  take  place  on  the  spot  where  the  deed 
was  committed.  While  many  of  our  people  to-day  deny  the 
justice  of  taking  a  life  for  a  life,  yet  then  it  was  far  dififerent. 
They  were  educated  to  severity  and  to  meet  death  by  burn- 
ing") by  torture,  or  by  any  other  prescribed  mode  that  was  in 
accordance  with  the  law  of  the  government  under  which  they 
lived.  This  right  was  not  questioned  in  those  times.  It  was 
expected  by  every  one,  and  as  such  must  be  endured.  If  an 
individual  preached  religious  opposition,  he  was  denounced  as 
a  heretic,  and  as  this  was  declared  to  be  the  greatest  crime 
before  God  and  man,  he  must  abide  by  the  law  of  the  com- 
monwealth. 

Had  this  persecution  for  heresy  been  confined  to  Catholics, 
we  might  have  some  excuse  to  complain,  but  when  we  find 
that  Protestants  practiced  it  to  a  far  greater  extent,  then  but 
little  should  have  been  said  except  to  condemn  the  whole. 
To  condemn  one  side  and  ignore  the  other,  is  not  just  his- 
tory, and  it  is  here  I  make  my  complaint.  I  was  brought  up 
in  ignorance  regarding  this  question,  and'  all  Protestant  chil- 
dren to-day  are  being  educated  to  harbor  exactly  the  same 
old  intolerance  and  to  believe  the  same  old  inconsistent,  hid- 
den, and  distorted  facts  of  history,  when  the  facts  of  history 
show  that  Catholics  were  persecuted  one  hundred  times  to 
the  Protestants  once. 

This  being  the  case,  why  not  teach  our  children  regard- 


The  Spanish  Inquisition.  211 

ing-  it?  Why  lay  this  foundation  of  prejudice,  and  allow  them 
to  grow  to  manhood  with  hatred  in  their  hearts?  If  you  are 
Christian,  why  not  teach  the  truth?  If  you  find  in  the  con- 
duct of  your  ancestors  a  crime  against  a  fellow  man,  con- 
demn it.  When  you  find  that  John  Calvin  authorized  the 
burning-  of  Michael  Servetus  because  he  was  a  heretic,  teach 
it  to  your  children  and  condemn  it.  When  you  find  in  the 
history  of  Ireland  hundreds  of  years  of  Protestant  persecu- 
tion, condemn  it.  When  you  find  the  bloody  massacres  of 
Oliver  Cromwell  and  William  of  Orange,  because  of  loyalty 
to  Catholic  faith,  do  not  cover  it  up,  but  show  to  the  world 
what  Protestants  were  doing.  When  you  read  of  the  persecu- 
tions of  Henry  VIII,  Edward  VI,  or  Elizabeth,  do  not  seek 
to  believe  them  right  because  they  were  perpetrated  by  Prot- 
estant monarchs.  When  you  teach  of  the  Reformation,  do 
not  fail  to  mention  the  desolation  of  Germany,  of  Switzer- 
land, of  France,  and  of  Holland.  Do  not  fail  to  mention  the 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  lives  that  were  lost  in  battle,  and 
as  you  do  this,  compare  this  wholesale  persecution  of  Protest- 
ants against  Catholics  to  the  Spanish  Inquisition,  the  only 
instance  in  the  history  of  the  Catholic  Church  where  sanc- 
tion was  ever  given  by  which  crime  was  perpetrated,  and 
this  was  done  through  a  misconception  of  its  power  and  mean- 
ing, and  by  the  head  authority  of  the  Church  was  condemned 
within  one  year,  and  to  prevent  the  bligthting  influence  of  an 
apparent  Church  wrong  the  Pope  even  excommunicated  In- 
quisitors and  demanded  that  the  Inquisition  should  be  abol- 
ished. 

And  yet  this  Inquisition  was  not  against  Protestants  alone. 


212  ChristiaNjJPPersecutions. 

but  against  the  Moors  and  Israelites,  who  were  not  only  op- 
posed to  the  Catholic  religion,  but  were  seeking  to  restore  their 
lost  power  by  the  overthrow  of  Ferdinand  and  the  enthrone- 
ment of  the  king  of  Barbary,  or  the  Grand  Turk. 

The.  great  suspicion  of  Ferdinand  was,  what  plot  was  being 
laid  and  what  torture  would  disclose  it.  Had  there  been  only 
heresy  to  deal  with  there  would  have  been  no  Inquisitors 
to  extort  confession  through  torture.  Ferdinand  and  Isabella 
were  the  sole  authors  of  this  institution,  and  the  stability  of 
the  throne  depended  upon  it.  As  proof  of  this  condition  we 
find  the  following  historical  facts: 

"It  was,  therefore,  rather  a  royal  and  political  than  an 
ecclesiastical  institution.  The  king  nominated  the  Inquisitors, 
who  were  equally  composed  of  lay  and  clerical  officials.  He 
dismissed  them  at  will.  From  the  King,  and  not  from  the 
Pope,  they  derived  their  jurisdiction,  and  into  the  King's 
coffers,  and  not  into  the  Pope's,  went  all  the  emoluments 
accruing  from  fines  and  confiscations.  In  a  word,  the  au- 
thority of  the  Inquisition  began  and  ended  with  the  crown." 

But  why  do  we  so  severely  condemn  this  Spanish  Inquisi- 
tion for  a  persecution  of  the  Mioors  and  Jews,  when  we  find 
that  even  Martin  Luther  recommended  a  merciless  doctrine 
against  the  Israelites?  While  he  did  not  advocate  a  studied 
means  of  bodily  torture,  yet  he  declared  that  their  synagogues 
ought  to  be  destroyed,  their  houses  pulled  down,  their  prayer- 
books,  and  even  the  books  of  the  Old  Testament,  to  be  taken 
from  them.  Their  rabbis  ought  to  be  forbidden  to  tpach, 
and  be  compelled  to  gain  their  livelihood  by  hard  labor.  When 
you  teach  of  these  Catholic  Spanish  horrors,  why  not  teach 


The  Spanish  Inquisition.  213 

at  the  same  time  what  other  religious  denominations  were 
doing?  Therefore,  if  we  condemn  Spanish  persecution,  why 
not  condemn  Martin  Luther,  John  Calvin,  Ulric  Zwingli, 
Henry  VIII,  Elizabeth,  Oliver  Cromwell,  WilHam  of  Orange, 
and  the  entire  galaxy  of  Reformers  of  that  period? 

"It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  Henry  VIII,  and  his  suc- 
cessors for  many  generations,  inflicted  fines,  imprisonment, 
and  death  to  thousands  of  their  subjects  for  denying  the  spirit- 
ual supremacy  of  the  temporal  sovereign.  This  galling  Inquisi- 
tion lasted  for  nearly  three  hundred  years,  and  the  severity  of 
its  decrees  scarcely  finds  a  parallel  in  the  Spanish  Inquisition. 
Prescott  avows  that  the  administration  of  Elizabeth  was  'not 
a  whit  less  despotic,  and  scarcely  less  sanguinary  than  that 
of  Isabella.'  The  clergy  of  Ireland,  under  Cromwell,  were 
ordered,  under  pain  of  death,  to  quit  their  country,  and  the- 
ological students  were  obliged  to  pursue  their  studies  in  for- 
eign seminaries.  Any  priest  who  dared  to  return  to  his  native 
country  forfeited  his  life.  Whoever  harbored  a  priest  suffered 
death,  and  they  who  knew  his  hiding-place,  and  did  not  reveal 
it  to  the  Inquisitors,  had  both  ears  cut  off." 

Besides  this,  we  find  that  Protestants  are  worshiping  at 
this  very  moment  in  churches  wrested  from  Catholics  in  the 
countries  of  England,  Ireland,  Scotland,  Holland,  and  Ger- 
many, and  though  of  no  consequence  at  this  late  day  to 
mention  these  confiscated  altars  of  worship,  why  conceal 
the  truth?  Why  place  all  the  odium  of  religious  persecution 
and  Spanish  Inquisitions  on  the  Church  of  Rome,  when  we 
have  a  field  far  broader  which  marks  the  religious  despotism 
of  the  Protestants  and  their  allies? 


214  Christian  Persecutions. 

In  the  Cosmopolitan  of  February,  1895,  we  find  a  very 
interesting  article  by  Julian  Hawthorn,  extracts  of  which  are 
given  below: 

"Mediaeval  torture  was  not,  indeed,  applied  exclusively 
in  the  interests  of  religion;  the  Council  of  Ten  and  the  Spanish 
Inquisition  were  organized  to  maintain  worldly  no  less  than 
heavenly  order." 

"Torture  was  the  fashionable  and  final  theological  argu- 
ment, and  was  inflicted  asi  opportunity  served,  by  heretics  as 
well  as  upon  them.  No  sect,  party,  or  community  had  the 
monopoly  of  it;  it  was  a  generally  recognized  and  accepted 
form  of  persuasion  or  chastisement;  and  the  constancy  with 
which  its  victims  endured  torment  was  only  a  degree  less  sur- 
prising than  the  resolution  with  which  its  agents  applied  it. 

"From  one  point  of  view,  torture  was  a  natural  out- 
growth of  the  lawless  and  savage  condition  of  Europe  and 
Asia  during  the  early  centuries  after  Christ.  By  way  of  main- 
taining some  sort  of  social  order,  secret  organizations  were 
formed,  which  ruled  by  the  terror  of  mystery  quite  as  much 
as  by  their  actual  physical  strength.  Their  influence  was, 
upon  the  whole,  beneficial;  they  were,  in  some  respects,  an- 
alogous to  the  famous  vigilance  committees  which  were  a  fea- 
ture of  our  early  Californian  life.  Their  corruption,  decay, 
and  extinction  were  the  consequence  of  the  improvement  of 
the  social  conditions  which  they  had  come  into  existence 
to  control. 

"These  societies  arrogated  the  right  not  only  to  inflict 
death,  but  to  practice  torture  with  a  view  to  eliciting  con- 
fession," ;  1       ,; 


The  Spanish  Inquisition.  215 

"During  the  struggle  between  Spain  and  the  United 
Netherlands,  torture  was  employed  by  both  parties  indiffer- 
ently, and  became  very  violent.  The  Dutchmen  once  tied 
a  number  of  prisoners  together  in  pairs,  and  confined  them  in 
a  large  room.  No  food  was  given  them,  and  in  the  course 
of  a  few  days  they  were  mad  with  hunger.  At  length  they 
began  to  devour  each  other.  They  were  kept  in  that  room 
until  the  last  man  was  dead.  Terrible  as  was  the  Spanish  In- 
quisition, this  affair  goes  far  to  even  matters  between  them 
and  the  Netherlanders.  Another  device  of  the  latter  w^as  to 
strip  their  victim,  and  drag  him  backw^ards  and  forwards  on 
a  rope  stretched  taut,  until  he  was  sawn  asunder." 

"The  heart  sickens  as  one  reads  these  awful  pages  and 
calls  up  the  spectacles  which  they  portray.  It  seems  to  be 
the  story  of  a  world  wholly  monstrous  and  diabolical.  And 
yet,  all  this  while  innocent  children  were  being  born,  and 
young  men  and  maidens  w-ere  loving  and  mating,  and  good 
and  happy  lives  were  lived,  and  Bacon  and  Shakespeare  wrote 
immortal  works.  It  was  substantially  the  same  beautiful,  vari- 
ous, kindly  world  that  we  now  live  in.  Nevertheless,  it  is 
hard  to  avoid  the  notion  that  the  powers  of  darkness  were 
permitted  in  those  ages  to  walk  the  earth  more  boldly  and 
openly  than  to-day,  and  to  seize  their  prey  with  less  cere- 
mony and  subterfuge  than  at  present.  It  was  one  of  the 
long  series  of  experiences  through  which  mankind  must  needs 
pass  before  it  can  attain  that  state  w4iich  is  secure  from  the 
shadow  of  the  pit. 

"The  story  of  torture  is  not  told  in  vain;  it  has  a  lesson. 
It  is  evident  that  those  \vho  inflicted  it  justified  their  act  to 


216  Christian  Persecutions. 

their  own  minds  by  arg-uments  based  upon  the  integrity  and 
prosperity  of  the  State  and  upon  interpretations  of  holy  writ. 
ReHg-ious  orthodoxy  in  those  days  was  essential  to  social 
order.  Heretics  were  inevitably  rebels  against  human  as  well 
as  divine  laws.  Restraint  and  penalties  were  indispensable, 
if  the  community  was  to  be  preserved.  On  the  other  hand, 
it  is  doubtful  whether  death,  or  even  torture,  would  have 
been  inflicted  on  theological  grounds  alone.  Certainly,  the 
Roman  Inquisition,  which  was  purely  a  religious  institution, 
never  inflicted  death ;  whereas,  that  of  Spain,  which  was  mainly 
political,  was  steeped  in  blood  from  the  outset.  Tenderness 
for  the  souls  of  the  erring  may  have  been  genuine,  but  it 
would  not  have  found  such  extreme  expression  had  not  secu- 
lar conditions  been  involved  with  it.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the 
excuse  and  the  precedent  were  Scriptural,  based,  it  is  true, 
upon  a  complete  perversion  of  the  true  spirit  of  Scripture, 
but  we  may  reasonably  hold  the  perversion  to  have  been  an 
honest  one. 

"And  in  those  days  the  'higher  criticism'  had  not  yet 
been  evolved,  and  men  believed  the  Bible  with  an  intense,  if 
superstitious,  faith.  They  read  in  the  Bible  that  God  pun- 
ished sin:  that,  if  it  were  persisted  in.  He  punished  it  after 
the  death  of  the  body  with  an  eternity  of  torments,  compared 
with  which  the  worst  that  man  could  inflict  were  as  nothing. 
This  served  as  their  precedent.  Their  excuse  was  yet  more 
plausible.  Evil  in  man  was  caused  by  the  machinations  of 
the  devil — by  the  suggestion  and  persuasion  of  his  angels. 
The  Inquisition,  by  torturing  the  body,  aimed  to  cast  out 
these  devils.    This  accomplished,  the  soul  would  be  saved  from 


The  Spanish  Inquisition.  217 

the  everlasting  torments  of  hell.  Temporal  pain  was  the 
severe  yet  merciful  means  of  guarding  against  the  pains  to 
tvhich  there  was  no  end, 

"This  was  the  theory  of  mediaeval  torture — of  salvation 
by  the  rack — and  it  explains  much  that  would  be  else  inex- 
plicable. It  was  founded  upon  a  hideous  mistake,  and  could 
not  outlast  the  development  of  reason.  And  yet  this  very 
calamity,  was  the  means  of  awakening  the  spiritual  conscience 
of  mankind,  and  preparing  the  way  for  the  great  enlighten- 
ment to  follow.  Our  feet,  and  those  of  our  posterity,  would 
not  stand  so  firmly  were  not  the  rack  and  the  pyre  among 
the  elements  of  our  history." 

We  might  even  go  further  in  the  mysteries  of  the  Spanish 
Inquisition  by  asserting,  from  competent  authority,  that  a 
greater  motive  than  piety,  or  security  of  kingdom,  influenced 
the  Kings;  that  it  was  the  acquisition  of  property  by  confisca- 
tion from  those  who  were  victims  to  its  persecution,  and  yet 
we  are  continually  reminded  of  this  terrible  enactment  of 
Catholic  indignities,  and  that  the  Church  urged  its  followers 
to  strike  deeper  and  longer  against  its  enemies  and  thus 
destroy  the  heresy  that  was  overrunning  Europe.  But  if  this 
is  so,  what  can  you  say  of  this  fact  of  history?  "After  the 
convening  of  the  Council  of  Trent,  Bartholomew  Caranza, 
Archbishop  of  Toledo,  was  arrested  by  the  Inquisition  on  a 
charge  of  heresy,  and  his  release  from  prison  could  not  be 
obtained  either  by  the  interposition  of  Pius  IV,  or  the  remon- 
strance of  the  Council." 

Is  not  this  an  evidence  of  the  power  of  the  Spanish  Tri- 
bunal?   And  is  it  not  an  evidence  that  even  ecclesiastical  dig- 

(15) 


218  Christian  Persecutions. 

nitaries  were  not  exempt  from  its  authority?  If  the  Pope 
and  the  Council  could  not  effect  the  deliverance  of  one  of  the 
highest  archbishops  in  the  kingdom,  how  could  they  control 
its  administration  in  the  execution  of  its  victims,  when  the 
whole  process  of  law  was  a  secret  institution? 

Now,  the  fact  is,  my  friends,  that  this  Inquisition  acted 
independently  of  the  Holy  See,  and  that  not  even  the  Catholic 
hierarchy  could  command  obedience,  or  control.  Having  been 
instituted  for  pohtical  purposes  no  power  but  that  of  the  King 
could  cause  its  arrest.  In  Naples  and  Milan,  which  then  be- 
longed to  Spain,  the  Pope  succeeded  in  preventing  the  gov- 
ernment from  establishing  its  Inquisitions.  And,  again,  we 
find  that  the  number  of  victims  has  been  greatly  exaggerated. 
In  the  fifteen  yeai-s  of  its  most  terrible  reign  no  more  than 
two  thousand  were  put  to  death  in  all  Spain. 

While  it  is  not  my  motive  to  speak  lightly  of  this  page  of 
tragedies,  or  to  excuse  by  any  means  the  awful  wrongs  com- 
mitted, yet  I  would  have  you  look  at  the  whole  situation,  the 
condition  of  the  people  of  those  times,  their  education  and  be- 
liefs, the  instability  of  government,  the  plots,  murders,  and 
political  corruption.  I  ask  you  to  examine  the  persecu- 
tions of  Protestants  as  well  as  of  Catholics,  and  as  you 
view  the  whole  history  of  cruelties,  see  them  from  the  stand- 
point of  then  and  not  from  the  conditions  of  the  present.  Do 
not  for  a  moment  believe  that  Catholic  Inquisitions  of  nearly 
four  hundred  years  ago  are  Catholic  institutions  of  to-day, 
unless  you  also  believe  that  the  Protestant  persecutions  of 
the  same  period  are  still  being  practiced.  One  is  just  as 
sensible  as  the  other,  and  to  teach  your  children  the  prejudice 


The  Spanish  Inquisition.  219 

which  follows  one,  and  not  the  truth  of  the  other,  is  unjust  and 
unchristianlike. 

We  have  no  right  to  build  up  one  cause  by  tearing  down 
another.  The  days  of  bodily  persecution  are  gone,  never  to 
return.  The  whole  world  has  arrived  at  a  state  of  existence 
where  we  are  commanded  to  judge  men  by  what  they  do, 
and  not  by  what  they  have  done.  Laws  against  heresy  have 
been  abolished,  and  in  its  place  we  have  the  freedom  of  con- 
secrated riglits.  The  spirit  of  God  moves  through  the  teach- 
ings of  His  children,  and  not  by  the  blind  fury  of  force.  While 
we  all  preach  charity  and  forbearance,  yet  let  us  practice  it, 
let  us  prove  to  our  children  its  meaning,  let  us  speak  the 
truth,  write  the  truth,  and  teach  the  truth.  If  we  find  a  mote 
in  our  brother's  eye,  first  let  us  cast  the  beam  out  of  our 
own,  for  with  a  dimmed  vision  you  have  no  right  to  render 
judgment  against  another.  What  has  been  is  not  what  is, 
or  what  will  be.  We  live,  not  in  the  past,  but  in  the  present. 
The  laws  of  1492  are  not  the  laws  of  1899.  The  kingdom  of 
Ferdinand  is  not  the  land  of  Columbia,  and  education  as 
imparted  then,  is  not  the  education  now.  Then  why,  I  ask, 
have  you  not  dropped  your  mental  persecutions,  your  incon- 
sistency, your  prejudices,  and  your  intolerance?  Why  seek 
to  promote  what  does  not  and  cannot  exist?  Why  not  unite 
with  Cardinal  Gibbons  and  all  say: 

"I  heartily  pray  that  religious  intolerance  may  never  take 
root  in  our  favored  land.  May  the  only  King  to  force  our 
conscience  be  the  King  of  kings;  may  the  only  prison  erected 
among  us  for  the  sin  of  unbelief  or  misbelief  be  the  prison 
of  a  troubled  conscience;  and  may  our  only  motive  for  em- 
bracing truth  be,  not  the  fear  of  man,  but  the  love  of  truth 
and  of  God." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 

T  N  relating;  the  events  of  the  French  Revolution,  it  is  not  the 
'  intention  to  dwell  largely  on  the  condition  of  France  po- 
litically, or  to  enter  minutely  into  the  causes  which  led  to  this 
terrible  conflict,  but  of  the  general  conditions,  the  persecu- 
tions, the  dethronement  of  reason,  the  desecration  of  God's 
Holy  Word,  the  baptism  of  blood,  triumphant  guilt,  and  the 
wild  excesses  of  the  Commune. 

The  revolution  was  a  revolt  against  royal  despotism  and 
privileged  wealth.  The  lands,  business,  institutions,  and 
wealth  were  in  the  hands  of  the  nobility,  while  the  common 
people  were  oppressed,  robbed  of  the  fruits  of  their  labor,  and 
treated  as  serfs,  instead  of  equals.  At  first  but  the  murmurings 
of  discontent  were  heard,  but  as  excitement  grew  the  most 
horrible  conditions  came  into  existence — mobs  rose  in  vio- 
lence, became  frenzied  in  their  mad  career,  and  committed  the 
most  atrocious  crimes  in  the  name  of  "Liberty,  Equality,  Fra- 
ternity," the  motto  of  the  Revolution. 

The  principal  causes  which  led  to  this  uprising  may  be 
enumerated  as  follows:  The  abuses  and  extravagances  of  the 
Bourt)on  monarch;  the  unjust  privileges  enjoyed  by  the  no- 
bility; the  accumulation  of  wealth  by  the  clergy;  the  revolu-. 
tionary  character  of  French  philosophy;  the  influence  of  the 
late  American  Revolution;  the  impetuous  and  revolutionary 
character  of  the  French  people  and  the  wretched  condition  of 

220 


The  French  Revolution.  221 

the  common  masses:  all  conspired  to  turn  reason  into  mad- 
ness, consistency  into  inconsistency,  moderation  into  violence, 
honor  into  disihonor,  and  law  and  order  into  the  wild  and 
uncontrollable  fury  for  pillage,  confiscation  and  murder.  The 
"Reign  of  Terror"  is  a  black  page  in  the  history  of  France — 
a  page  that  relates  a  fiendish  persecution,  only  equaled  by 
the  cruelty  of  the  pagan,  Nero.  Down  with  royalty!  Down 
with  the  nobility!  Down  with  the  clergy!  was  the  loud  cry 
of  the  infuriated  mobs.  Reason  had  changed  to  madness. 
Justice  was  dethroned,  blood  had  been  shed  and  the  wild  and 
terrible  cry  of  vengeance  was  resounded  from  throat  to  throat. 
■'To  the  lions  with  the  Christians!"  was  the  cry  of  the  pagan 
populace.  "To  the  guillotine!"  was  the  cry  of  the  infuriated 
mobs  of  the  Commune. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  French  Revolution  we  find 
Louis  XVI,  a  Bourbon  monarch,  king  of  France.  We  find 
him  a  weak-minded,  vacillating  sovereign;  inclined  to  fairness 
and  justice,  but  surrounded  with  a  nobility  that  worked  upon 
his  weakness,  obtained  concessions  and  through  their  selfish 
designs  instituted  a  condition  of  discontent  that  led  to  disas- 
trous results,  not  only  for  the  throne,  but  for  the  cause  of 
Christianity.  This  nobility,  numbering  80,000  families,  was 
what  remained  of  the  once  powerful  feudal  aristocracy  of  the 
Middle  Ages.  The  common  people  numbered  25,000,000,  and 
were  subjected  to  the  payment  of  heavy  taxes  for  the  support 
of  these  classes.  The  nobility,  however,  were  not  taxed  for  the 
support  of  the  government  and  were  accorded  many  privileges 
at  the  expense  of  the  lower  classes.  The  peasants  were  rudely 
trampled  upon  by  the  infliction  of  intolerable  wrongs.   They 


222  Christian  Persecutions. 

were  forbidden  to  fence  their  fields  for  the  protection  of  their 
crops,  because  it  might  interfere  with  the  lord's  convenience  in 
the  hunt.  They  were  even  forbidden  to  cultivate  their  fields  at 
certain  seasons  of  the  xear,  for  fear  such  cultivation  might  dis- 
turb the  young  pheasants  and  other  game.  They  were  made 
to  feel  that  they  were  inferior,  and  must  bow  to  the  demands  of 
their  superiors. 

With  the  existence  of  such  conditions,  is  it  any  wonder 
they  were  highly  incensed  against  the  nobility,  against  wealth, 
and  against  the  inequality  of  society? 

Also,  we  find  the  same  old  pagan  philosophy,  simply 
smoothed  over  to  suit  existing  conditions.  Tliere  was  in  it  the 
same  old  opposition  to  Qiristianity,  faith  and  devotion. 
Rousseau,  Voltaire  and  Tliomas  Paine  were  the  great  philoso- 
phers of  the  age.  Their  godless  and  atheistic  writings  were 
scattered  broadcast,  and  sowed  the  seeds  of  discontent,  of 
revolution,  and  of  apostasy.  They  denounced  the  nobility  as 
the  great  source  of  evil  to  mankind.  They  denounced  the 
Church  as  a  plague-spot  upon  the  civil  liberties  of  the  people. 
They  denied  God  from  the  standpoint  of  reason.  They  wrote, 
talked  and  pleaded  for  revolution,  for  equality,  for  justice,  for 
individual  rights.  They  harangued  the  masses,  and  held  up 
to  them  the  freedom  of  America  and  demanded  a  war  for  lib- 
erty, equal  taxation,  and  a  government  freed  from  tyrants, 
kings,  an'd  nobility.  They  declared  that  all  men  are  created 
equal  and  titles  should  be  abolished.  They  cited  the  privi- 
leges of  the  few  and  the  sufferances  of  the  many.  They  ap- 
pealed to  the  passions  and  prejudices  of  the  people.  They 
drew  pictures  of  American  independence  and  American  free- 


The  French  Revolution.  223 

dom.  Discontent  was  thus  produced,  passions  were  aroused, 
and  disrespect  for  authority  made  manifest.  By  preying  upon 
the  ignorance  of  the  people  they  instituted  a  civil  rebellion 
that  knew  no  bounds  for  the  infliction  of  vengeance,  blood- 
shed, confiscation  and  persecution. 

The  commencement  of  this  terrible  struggle  was  in  1789, 
when  the  National  Assembly  was  organized  to  direct  the  af- 
fairs of  the  nation.  This  Assembly  immediately  became  vio- 
lent in  its  opposition  to  the  throne  and  the  Catholic  Church, 
and  seized  the  property  of  the  clergy,  the  accumulation  of  cen- 
turies. All  religious  orders  were  suppressed,  and  solemn 
monastic  vows  interdicted.  It  prohibited  ecclesiastical  dress, 
legalized  divorces,  recognized  the  persecution  of  Catholic 
priests,  stripped  churches  of  their  emblems  of  worsihip,  and, 
to  wipe  out  every  feature  of  Christianity,  the  Gregorian  cal- 
endar was  abolished,  because  it  was  the  established  time  of  the 
Catholic  Church.  A  new  mode  of  reckoning  time  was  intro- 
duced. Each  month  was  divided  into  three  periods  of  ten 
days  called  "decades,"  the  tenth  day  being  set  aside  as  a  day 
of  rest  and  recreation.  The  names  of  the  months  were  changed 
to  correspond  to  some  special  character.  The  days  were  also 
re-named  and  each  day  divided  into  ten  parts.  A  new  system 
of  weights  and  measures  was  conceived  and  all  institutions  and 
customs  that  possibly  could  be,  were  abolished.  Tlieir  hatred 
was  so  intense  that  all  institutions  of  government,  of  worship 
or  adoption,  that  were  establisihed  by  kings  and  aristocrats, 
must  be  abolished. 

The  design  of  the  philosophers  Avas  to  unchristianize 
France,  to  destroy  every  evidence  of  God,  of  worship,  and  of 


224  Christian  Persecutions. 

the  Church.  They  declared  "that  the  world  can  never  be 
happy  until  it  has  denied  the  existence  of  God,"  and  to  show 
in  what  manner  they  proposed  to  attain  their  ends  they  passed 
res'olutions  which  declared  that  their  avowed  object  should  be, 
"never  to  rest  until  they  had  strangled  the  last  king  with  the 
bowels  of  the  last  priesf" 

Their  animosity  was  so  great  that  the  Assembly  legislated 
specially  against  priests  and  all  who  were  in  harmony  with 
them.  At  first  the  sentence  was  banishment,  but  afterwards 
changed  to  a  decree  of  death,  and  the  terrible  Danton  under- 
took its  execution. 

The  rage  of  Danton  and  his  followers  was  one  of  the  most 
heartless  in  the  long  line  of  cruelties.  His  first  bloody  deed 
in  Paris  was  the  murder  of  three  hundred  priests,  an  arch- 
bishop and  two  bishops.  When  the  signal  for  massacre  was 
given  in  the  Abbey  of  St.  Germain,  and  some  drew  back, 
shuddering,  one  of  the  hired  assassins  called  out:  "What! 
Are  you  afraid  of  blood?     You  must  get  used  to  it." 

The  cruelties  into  which  savage  men  were  led  -by  priest- 
hatred  are  indescribable.  Among  the  priests  murdered  at 
Rlieims,  was  the  holy  and  venerable  Alexandre,  dean  of  the 
cathedral.  He  was  burned  alive  over  a  slow  fire;  his  torments 
were  thus  prolonged  for  over  an  hour.  He  was  compelled, 
before  his  own  execution,  to  Avitness  that  of  his  dear  friend, 
the  Abbe  Romain,  who  was  most  cruelly  tortured  and  burned 
before  him.  While  Alexandre  was  being  roasted  alive  his  tor- 
mentors would,  from  time  to  time,  withdraw  him  from  the 
fire,  that  they  might  gloat  over  the  spectacle  of  his  sufiferings. 
To  augment  the  distress,  they  forced  his  own  nephew  to  carry 


The  French  Revolution.  225 

the  wood  and  place  it  on  the  fire.  Among  the  priests  mur- 
dered at  Lyons  was  the  Abbe  Regni,  a  man  respected  by  all 
for  his  great  virtue  and  charity.  The  furious  mob  hacked  his 
fingers  from  his  hands,  tore  out  his  entrails,  and  then  cut  ofif 
his  head,  and  finished  by  offering  his  mangled  limbs  to  the 
passers-by  for  relics.  Such  barbarities  were  only  called  "spill- 
ing the  blood  of  a  few  traitors." 

To  illustrate  the  insane  desire  for  revenge  and  the  uncon- 
trolled rage  against  those  who  had  accumulated  wealth,  we 
find  the  Convention  passed  the  following  decree:     "The  city 
of  Lyons  is  opposed  to  the  Revolution,  the  city  of  Lyons 
shall  be  destroyed;  every  house  occupied  by  a  rich  man  shall 
be  demolished;  only  the  dwellings  of  the  poor  shall  remain, 
with  edifices  especially  devoted  to  industry,  and  monuments 
consecrated  to  humanity  and  public  education."     Thousands 
of  men  were  employed  to  pull  down  the  city,  while  tlie  frenzied 
mobs    constantly    howled,    Down    with    aristocracy!     Down 
with  the  Church!     Down  with  inequality!     The  Convention 
also  decreed  that  a  commemorative  monument — to  serve  as  a 
warning — should  be  established  on  the  ruins  of  Lyons,  with 
this    inscription:     "Lyons    opposed    liberty!     Lyons    is    no 
more!" 

The  madness  of  the  people  knew  no  bounds.  To  obliter- 
ate all  evidence  of  Christianity,  the  Commune  closed  the 
Churches  of  Paris  and  confiscated  their  treasures,  their  altars, 
and  shrines.  Even  the  bells  were  melted  and  cast  into  cannon.  » 
The  images  of  Christ  and  the  Virgin  Mary  were  torn  down, 
defaced,  trampled  upon  and  blasphemed  against.  The  busts 
of  Marat  and  other  revolutionists  were  erected  in  the  place  of 


226  Christian  Persecutions. 

these  beloved  "representatives  of  Christian  love  and  faith.  As 
the  emancipation  of  the  world  was  to  be  wroug^ht  through  the 
guillotine  instead  of  the  cross,  that  instrument  to'ok  the  place 
of  the  crucifix  and  was  called  the  Holy  Guillotine.  All  th-e 
emblems  of  Christian  worship  were  destroyed.  Even  the 
graves  of  the  dead  were  desecrated  by  the  hands  of  the  rabble, 
and  over  the  gates  of  the  cemeteries  were  inscribed  the  words: 
"Death  is  an  eternal  sleep." 

The  religious  madness  of  the  people  culminated  in  the 
worship  of  the  Goddess  of  Reason.  Churches  everywhere 
were  converted  into  temples  of  this  new  worship.  The  Sab- 
bath day  having  been  abolished,  the  tenth  day  was  set  aside 
for  the  services  of  Reason. 

"On  the  10th  of  November,  1793,  the  church  of  Notre 
Dame,  in  Paris,  was  made  the  scene  of  a  most  frightful  dese- 
cration. A  woman  of  ill-fame,  with  a  skyblue  mantle  flung 
around  her,  and  a  Phrygian  cap  on  her  head,  representing  the 
Goddess  of  Reason,  was  conducted  on  a  triumphal  car  into 
this  venerable  sanctuary,  and  there,  surrounded  by  the  fol- 
lowers of  the  new  faith,  enthroned  on  the  high  altar,  with  a 
crucifix  beneath  her  feet;  lewd  songs  then  resounded  in  her 
praise,  and  wild  dances  and  hideous  excesses,  defiled  the  holy 
place,  and  crowned  the  homage  thus  rendered  to  the  new 
divinity.  The  prophecy  of  Beauregard  was  thus  fulfilled  to 
the  very  letter.  This  frightful  impiety  was  enacted  not  only 
iin  Paris,  but  also  in  many  other  French  cities,  and  with  it  was 
often  combined  a  hideous  mockery  of  holy  things.  In  one 
place  five  hundred  prostitutes  appeared,  clothed  in  sacerdotal 
vestments.    In  another  an  ass,  decked  with  a  mitre  and  cope, 


The  French  Revolution.  227 

was  made  to  draw  along  a  cart  filled  with  gold  and  silver 
altar  vessels.  Not  only  did  men,  in  devilish  rage,  trample  the 
crucifix  under  foot,  but  they  also  stole  consecrated  hosts,  and, 
to  the  eternal  shame  of  the  ungrateful  human  race,  flung 
them  to  unclean  beasts  to  be  devoured.  If  any  one  should 
speak  a  respectful  word  with  regard  to  Christianity,  or  be 
surprised  with  a  crucifix,  rosary,  picture  of  a  saint,  or  other 
Christian  emblem,  death  was  the  punishment  for  such  an 
ofifense.  It  was  only  at  their  utmost  peril  that  those  faithful 
priests  who  courageously  refused  tO'  forsake  their  flocks, 
administered  the  sacrament  to  the  dying.  And  that  such 
priests  might  not  escape  detection  of  the  spies  who  constantly 
watched  them,  they  were  not  allowed,  under  pain  of  death, 
to  assume  any  sort  of  disguise.  Nuns  were  starved,  ill-treated, 
and  led  in  crowds  to  execution;  whilst  public  prostitutes  were 
supported  at  the  expense  of  tlie  State," 

Such  were  the  wild  excesses  of  the  Commune  that  to  defy 
religion,  to  defy  the  truths  of  Christ,  and  to  disgrace  the 
Temples  of  God,  they  would  lend  their  mockery  in  a  pretended 
worship  of  vice,  and  in  the  elevation  of  disgraced  humanity 
they  would  compare  the  purity  of  divine  inspiration  with  a 
debase'd  and  lustful  shame.  It  was  not  that  a  debased  nature 
was  preferred  to  a  life  of  purity,  but  in  the  desecration  of 
God's  Holy  Altar  no  contempt  could  be  stronger,  nor  no 
mockery  greater,  than  to  bow  in  pretended  adoration  tO'  a 
soiled  and  debased  woman.  No  insult  could  be  stronger  to 
the  divine  purity  of  Christianity  than  this  act  of  eternal  shame. 
Churches  could  be  demolished,  crosses  hewn  down  and  cast 
into  the  fire,  sacred  vestments  trampled  under  foot,  emblems 


228  Christian  Persecutions. 

of  veneration  desecrated  by  the  hand  of  the  vandal,  but  to 
convert  the  House  of  God  into  the  excesses  of  degradation,  to 
supplant  the  altar  of  Christ  with  the  representation  of  crime, 
and  to  convert  the  forms  of  Christianity  into  the  beastly 
triumphs  of  an  idolatrous  worship,  was  the  greatest  of  all  dis- 
graced ignominy,  and  as  we  follow  these  awful  desecrators  of 
God's  Holy  Worship,  we  find  them  meeting  the  judgment  of 
an  outraged  Deity.  As  they  meted  out  murder  and  desecra- 
tion, so  were  their  crimes  avenged  by  the  visitation  of  a  just 
punishment. 

In  the  worship  of  Reason  the  orators  of  the  day  gloried  in 
the  achievements  of  the  Revolution,  and  in  the  height  of 
exhortation,  blessed  the  hour  when  the  people  were  no  longer 
oppressed  by  the  kings  of  earth  nor  by  a  king  in  heaven. 

,'With  the  disappearance  of  religion  there  came,  as  a 
plague-spot  upon  the  social  life  of  France,  a  season  of  vice, 
sin,  and  degradation.  The  brutal  nature  of  man  was  loosed 
in  all  its  wildest  terror.  The  corrupting  influence  of  sin  and 
shame  was  destroying  the  moral  atmosphere  of  the  social  life 
of  family,  state,  and  nation.  It  was  no  longer  held'  in 
obedience  to  the  teachings  of  honor,  truth,  and  fidelity.  It 
had  been  loosed  to  the  lowest  infamy  of  hell's  debasing  shrine. 
It  was  bathed  in  the  blood  of  the  noblest  lives  of  Christian 
faith,  and  it  was  wallowing  in  the  mire  of  a  depraved  lust,  an 
unforgiven  mockery,  and  a  defiled  and  condemned  nature. 

It  became  a  wild  scene  of  idolatrous  worship.  No  God, 
no  Bible,  no  Christ,  no  Virgin  Mary/*  The  Goddess  of  Rea- 
son was  the  philosophy  of  Voltaire,  Rousseau,  and  Thomas 
Paine.    It  became  the  condition  of  the  present,  but  no  future; 


The  French  Revolution.  229 

mind  but  no  soul;  nature  but  no  God.  The  cry  of  the  Com- 
mune was  to  dethrone  the  King-  of  Heaven  as  well  as  the  kings 
of  earth.  One  of  the  most  dangerous  leaders  of  the  Commune 
was  Hebert,  who  would  overthrow  all  forms  of  religion,  all 
forms  of  past  government,  and  establish  society  upon  the 
foundation  of  Communism  and  Atheism.  To  this  Robespierre, 
the  great  leader  of  the  revolution,  objected.  He  wished  to 
sweep  away  Christianity  as  a  superstition,  but  he  would  stop 
at  Deism.  He  did  not  believe  a  government  could  be  estab- 
lished on  Atheism.  There  must  be  some  Supreme  Being  for 
the  people  to  worship.  It  was,  and  always  had  been  popular, 
and  must  be  continued.  He  said:  "If  God  does  not  exist 
it  would  behoove  man  to  invent  him."  Accordingly,  this 
blood-thirsty  revolutionist  presented  the  following  resolution, 
which  was  adopted  by  the  Convention:  "The  French  people 
acknowledge  the  existence  of  the  Supreme  Being  and  the 
immortality  of  the  soul."  The  temples  that  had  been  con- 
verted to  the  worship  of  the  Goddess  of  Reason  were  now 
consecrated  to  the  worship  of  the  Supreme  Being. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  yet  at  the  very  time  when  Robes- 
pierre was  offering  resolutions  recognizing  the  existence  of 
a  Supreme  Being  and  establishing  the  new  worship,  he  was 
desolating  France  with  murders  and  massacres  of  such  ter- 
rible atrocity  that  the  world  had  never  seen  its  equal  except 
in  the  most  frightful  days  of  Rome.  The  terrorisfti  of  the  man 
was  beyond  conception.  With  self-organized  power,  his  will 
became  the  ruling  force  of  destiny.  Lives  to  him  were  as 
nothing,  so  great  was  the  execution  of  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren.   He  was  devoid  of  heart,  soul,  or  conscience.    The  blind 


230  Christian  Persecutions. 

fanaticism  of  ancient  savag-ery  controlled  his  power  of  reason. 
In  the  name  of  liberty  he  committed  crimes  unspeakable.  He 
murdered  thousands  of  human  beings,  blasphemed  against 
God,  and  persecuted  Christianity,  and  all  in  the  name  of  the 
Republic  of  France. 

Persons  opposed,  or  even  suspected  of  opposition,  were 
crowded  to  the  guillotine  in  almost  countless  numbers.  The 
prisons  contained  two  hundred  thousand  persons  suspected 
of  sympathy  against  the  reign  of  crime  and  destruction.  By 
the  swift  process  of  the  Revolutionary  Tribunal  justice  became 
a  mockery,  a  slave  to  passion,  and  a  cloak  to  cover  the  sanc- 
tion of  crime.  So  swift  was  judgment  pronounced  that  not 
one,  but  ten,  fifty,  were  dragged  before  the  tribunal  at  once, 
and,  without  trial,  except  the  accusation  of  their  enemies, 
they  were  pronounced  guilty  and  huiTied  to  execution. 

The  scenes  around  the  guillotine  were  indescribable  and 
be)^ond  the  power  of  expression.  People  were  devodd  of  pity, 
shame  or  conscience.  They  screamed  with  delight  at  the 
awful  spectacle  of  bloodshed  and  death.  They  built  benches 
around  the  guillotines  to  better  witness  the  executions  of  the 
condemned.  Special  sewers  were  constructed  to  carry  away 
the  blood  of  the  victims,  and  yet,  in  the  frenzy  of  this  Reign 
of  Terror,  women,  whose  natures  abhor  the  scenes  of  strife, 
gloried  in  the  awful  butchery  of  human  life.  They  forgot 
their  womanhood,  and  in  the  cry  for  retribution  they  urged 
the  executioner  to  more  swiftly  wield  his  knife  of  death. 

While  this  was  the  condition  in  Paris,  yet,  even  worse, 
was  the  destruction  of  life  in  the  cities  of  Toulon,  Marseilles, 
Nantes,  and  Bordeaux,  where  the  slow  process  of  the  guillo- 


The  French  Revolution.  231 

tine  was  superseded  by  a  swifter  mode  of  execution.  Indi- 
viduals were  bound  tog-ether  and  thrown  into  the  water;  boats 
were  crowded  with  victims  and  then  scuttled;  long-  columns 
of  condemned  were  mowed  down  with  musket  and  cannon; 
rooms  were  filled  with  victims  and  then  suffocated.  By  these 
various  m'ethods  over  fifteen  thousand  victims  were  massa- 
cred in  a  single  month,  and  during  the  three  months,  of  Robes- 
pierre's wildest  terror  over  thirty  thousand  were  victims  of 
this  awful  persecution. 

Terrible  and  inhuman  as  was  this  execution,  still  the 
blackest  deed  of  horror  is  yet  to  be  told — a  deed  that  stands 
without  a  parallel  in  all  the  annals  of  despotic  crimes;  a  deed 
that  blots  the  name  of  France,  of  liberty  and  fame;  a  deed 
so  vile  that  hell  itself  revolts  against  its  shame.  This  deed  was 
the  execution  of  three  hundred  innocent  children,  orphans  of 
those  who  had  suffered  death  by  execution.  In  one  night 
these  children  were  gathered  on  the  banks  of  the  Loire  and 
cast  into  the  river,  the  mob  crying:  They  are  eggs  of  the 
reptile!  Down  with  the  brats,  and  they  will  never  rise  up  to 
oppress  us! 

The  heart  grows  sick  at  the  awful  dispensation  of  crime 
from  the  mobs  of  infuriated  men.  Wild  beasts  kill  to  sate 
their  thirst;  men  kill  to  gloat  over  the  victory  of  oppression, 
and  the  wild  frenzy  of  uncontrolled  reason.  They  become 
madmen,  despots,  tyrants,  and  in  their  persecutions  they  lose 
their  manhood,  their  honor  and  their  God.  They  become 
slaves  to  passion,  slaves  to  ambition,  and  slaves  to  eternal 
destruction. 

When  we  understand  that  forty-four  thousand  guillotines 


232  Christian  Persecutions. 

were  erected  in  France  we  may  have  some  conception  of  the 
magnitude  of  the  slaughter,  and  all  the  awful  results  in  this 
Reign  of  Terror.  Often  a  word,  a  tear,  a  look  was  enough 
to  proclaim  sympathy  and  send  the  unfortunate  victim  to  his 
execution. 

At  La  Vendee,  a  district  in  the  west  of  France,  where 
piety  and  love  for  Christian  worship  was  strongest  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people,  they  suffered  the  greatest  indignities, 
cruelties,  and  murders.  Its  inhabitants  had  taken  up  arms  in 
defense  of  their  rights,  and  had  gained  some  brilliant  vic- 
tories. These  disasters  of  the  Republicans  only  infuriated 
their  wild  rage.  New  forces  were  gathered  against  the  Chris- 
tians and  with  fire  and  sword  they  marched  through  this 
province,  destroying  farms,  burning  villages,  and  murdering 
every  man,  woman,  and  child  who  might  fall  in  their  way. 
Age  nor  sex  had  any  immunity  from  these  devils  who 
traversed  the  country  destroying  every  form  of  Christianity 
that  might  arise  before  them.  Armed  m'obs,  with  the  guillo- 
tine in  tlieir  train,  traversed  every  direction,  and  when  cap- 
tures were  made  they  were  dragged  to  the  wagon  of  death, 
there  beheaded  and  the  bodies  left  by  the  roadside. 

Terror,  like  a  pestilence,  was  each  day  spreading  farther 
and  farther,  demanding  fresh  victims  to  sate  the  thirst  of 
these  destroying  angels.  A  black  cloud  of  despotism  and 
incarnate  madness  was  brooding  over  France.  Her  victims 
were  counted,  not  by  hundreds,  but  by  hundreds  of  thousands. 
The  soil  was  drenched  with  the  blood  of  innocence,  and  the 
whole  fabric  of  social  life  was  steeped  in  shame. 

But  as  all  things  come  to  an  end,  so,  too,  did  the  black 


The  French  Revolution.  233 

days  of  France.  The  butcheries  of  Robespierre  and  his  crea- 
tures had  sated  the  thirst  for  human  blood.  The  strain  was 
too  great  for  human  endurance.  The  conscience  of  man, 
which  had  been  covered  by  an  insane  desire  for  vengeance, 
was  asserting  itself.  Reaction  was  made  manifest  everywhere. 
Further  crimes  were  considere^d  unnecessary,  and  they  began 
to  turn  with  horror  and  pity  from  the  blood-stained  guillotine. 
Robespierre  was  being  denounced  as  a  tyrant.  His  terrible 
executions  were  coming  home  to  demand  the  penalty  of  his 
despotism.  Once  more  did  the  hatred  of  revolution  break 
forth  in  all  its  ghastly  form.  Robespierre,  himself,  was  the 
victim.  Finding  that  his  power  was  broken  and  that  an  out- 
raged nature  had  demanded  his  execution,  he  sought  to  end 
his  life  by  his  own  hand.  The  shot  only  shattered  his  jaw- 
bone, and  before  he  could  again  seek  destruction  he  was  seized 
by  the  mob,  dragged  through  the  streets,  and  at  the  house 
where  he  lived  they  halted  for  execution.  A  troop  of  women 
had  gathered,  who  sang  songs  of  levity,  executed  dances,  and 
as  his  head  fell,  the  whole  crowd  clapped  tliei'r  hands  and 
shouted  applause,  and  uttered  curses  on  his  memory. 

The  waters  of  the  bloody  deluge  began  to  subside,  the 
greatest  tyrant  in  all  France  had  met  the  fate  of  his  thousands 
of  victims.  The  insane  madness  was  over,  and  France  had 
awakened  from  the  ghastly  dream  of  the  Reign  of  Terror. 

^'''  Ns!^  OF  QETHS^^^ 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

ONE  of  the  greatest  generals  the  world  ever  produced 
was  Napoleon  Bonaparte — not  great  in  deeds  of  charity 
and  Christian  forbearance,  but  great  in  the  deeds  of  heroic 
valor.  His  whole  life  was  one  of  restless  ambition.  Born 
under  the  influence  of  military  laws,  cradled  in  national  strife, 
and  raised  to  manhood  at  the  beginning  of  the  most  terrible 
revolution  the  world  ever  saw,  is  it  any  wonder  war  and  con- 
quest was  the  field  of  his  ambition? 

His  great  strength  lay  in  his  power  of  perception,  his  swift- 
ness of  action,  his  courage,  and  his  discipline.  His  presence 
commanded  enthusiasm,  confidence,  and  inspiration.  By  intui- 
tion he  saw  the  conditions,  and  with  the  boldness  of  assured 
confidence  he  struck  his  fatal  blows.  He  knew  his  own 
strength  and  he  knew  the  weakness  of  his  enemy.  He  planned 
only  to  conquer.  Retreat  to  liim  was  impossible  and  could 
not  be  considered.  The  map  of  the  world  lay  at  his  feet  and  he 
played  his  armies  in  the  great  chess  game  of  nations.  In  the 
gamie  of  checkers  we  crown  our  kings,  but  in  his  game  of 
nations  he  uncrowned  them.  Naught  stood  in  the  way  of 
his  ambition.  Even  Church  laws  must  bend  lo  his  will.  Two 
Popes  were  imprisoned  for  refusing  to  obey  his  requirements. 
Laws,  rules,  and  edicts  of  the  Church  were  changed  at  his 
command.  He  would  conquer  Europe.  He  would  bend  the 
I.nee  of  the  proud  Briton,  but  alas!    he  met  his  Waterloo. 

234 


Napoleon  Bonaparte.  235 

The  star  of  destiny  had  set.  The  sun  of  his  ambition  was 
shrouded  in  darkness,  and  he  died  an  exile,  the  victim  of  his 
own  aspirations. 

His  first  appearance  in  the  Hght  of  a  powerful  character 
was  after  the  execution  of  Robespierre,  July  28,  1794.  The 
persecution  against  Catholics  was  somewhat  abated.  The  gov- 
ernment and  people  were  tired  of  bloodshed.  The  Jacobin 
clubs  were  closed,  and  this  most  infamous  society  which, 
during  the  Reign  of  Terror,  directed  the  mobs  and  rabbles, 
was  forced  to  yield  to  the  dictates  of  reason.  The  deputies 
who  had  been  compelled  to  leave  during  this  stormy  period 
were  invited  to  return  and  resume  their  seats  in  the  Conven- 
tion. The  Catholic  Church  was  not  recognized,  or  considered, 
in  the  reestablishment  of  government  power,  but  a  proper 
form  of  worship  was  established  by  special  order,  and  religious 
fpeedom  again  prevailed. 

The  Terrorists  were  highly  incensed  at  the  adoption  of 
any  form  of  worship,  declared  open  hostilities  against  the  Oon- 
vention  and  demanded  that  this  new  law  should  be  repealed. 
The  Convention  was  awed  at  the  boldness  of  these  victims  of 
apostate  philosophy,  and  when  on  October  5,  1795,  they  gath- 
ered a  mob  of  forty  thousand  men  and  demanded  a  renuncia- 
tion of  all  Christianity  on  the  penalty  of  death,  they  appealed 
to  Napoleon  to  defend  the  new  government.  Here  we  find  the 
marvelous  execution  of  this  great  genius.  Given  command, 
he  quickly  forms  into  line  a  small  army  of  m^en,  and  as  the 
mob  advance  he  met  them  with  a  storm  of  grapeshot,  amd 
before  they  could  reform  for  a  new  attack,  he  had  charged 
with  all  the  impetuousness  of  his  determined  nature  and  sent 


236  Christian  Persecutions. 

them  back  in  wild  disorder.  This  decisive  blow  won  for  him 
the  confidence  of  the  new  government,  and  France,  at  last, 
had  found  a  man  capable  of  controlling  and  directihg  its  tfe- 
menidous  emergies^ 

The  Reign  of  Terror  had  left  chaos,  confusion,  riiin,  and 
bioodshed.  It  had  destroyed  life,  confiscated  property,  and 
cast  a  blackened  cloud  upon  Christianity.  In  the  name  of 
"Liberty,  Equality,  Fraternity,"  it  had  condemned  monarchies, 
denied  the  worship  of  God,  strangled  liberty  of  conscience, 
destroyed  nobility,  confiscated  the  wealth  of  the  rich  and  exe- 
cuted thousands  in  the  mad  frenzy  of  rage.  France  was  the 
victim  of  uncontrolled  passion,  infuriated  mobs,  and  Atheistic 
philosophy.  It  was  one  boundless  field  of  despotism.  A  tear, 
a  sigh,  w^as  evidence  of  distmst,  persecution,  and  execution. 
While  iNapoleon  was  closer  to  the  leaders  of  the  great  revolu- 
tion than  the  world  knows,  yet  in  the  support  of  government 
he  was  faithful  and  true.  He  sought  position  through  his 
sublime  efforts.  The  mob  of  Terrorists  was  but  the  beginning 
of  his  great  career.  He  was  not  tyrannical,  but  stern  and 
Unyielding.  If  men  or  nations  differed  with  him,  he  demanded 
a  surrender. 

A  few  weeks  after  Napoleon  had,  defended  the  Convention 
and  won  his  first  great  achievemenit,  the  Convention 
adjourned,  having  established  the  new  government,  laws,  and 
constitution.  There  were  three  departments,  similar  to  all 
republican  governments  of  to-day,  only  the  executive  depart- 
ment was  vested  in  a  Board  of  Directors.  Up  to  this  time  the 
Republic  had  been  on  the  defensive.  The  Board  of  Directors, 
under  the  great  pleas  of  humanitv,  decided  to  fulfill  its  early 


Napoleon  Bonaparte.  287 

promise  to  aid  all  nations  to  rise  against  despotism,  destroy/; 
royalty,  abolish  class  privilege,  and  become  free  and  inde- 
pendent. The  prospects  of  the  new  nation  were  so  grand  in 
perception,  so  equal  in  society,  and  so  national  in  government, 
they  proposed  to  share  with  all  governments  in  tlie  great 
philosophy  of  the  brotherhood  of  man.  She  would  make  all 
Europe  like  herself.  Her  communicative  genius  extended  to 
other  empires,  and  with  the  recent  independence  of  America, 
the  doctrine  of  self-government  received  favor  and  spread 
rapidly  among  the  people  of  Europe. 

A  prominent  writer  says:  "Easily  seduced  herself,  she 
easily  seduces  others."  But  for  the  prospect  of  freedom,  social 
and  political  equality,  which  ever  stirs  the  souls  of  men,  Napo- 
leon would  have  opposition  stronger  and  more  fierce.  The 
French  armies  were  everywhere  received  and  welcomed  more 
as  a  friend  than  a  foe.  He  was  a  foe  to  monarchies,  but  not 
a  foe  to  man.  He  sought  to  give  freedom  and  self-govern- 
ment to  all  people.  Thus  was  France  enabled  to  establish 
commonwealths  and  surround  herself  with  powerful  allies. 
She  conquered  Europe,  not  by  her  victories,  but  by  her  prom- 
ises. Victor  Hugo  says:  "An  invasion  of  armies  may  be 
resisted,  but  an  invasion  of  ideas  cannot  be  resisted." 

The  ideas  of  Napoleon  w^ere  in  advance  of  public  senti- 
ment. The  times  were  not  ripe  for  republican  institutions. 
The  people  had  been  taught  that  kings  held  a  divine  right 
over  nations.  They  felt  the  injustice  of  despotism,  but  were 
not  competent  to  grasp  the  meaning  of  independence.  They 
would  follow  blindly  the  philosophy  of  justice  to  all,  but  could 
not  institute  its  enforcement.    They  were  born  under  control 


238  Christian  Persecutions. 

and  knew  nothmg  of  political  opposition.  Kings  must  exist 
in  the  future,  for  they  had  existed  in  the  past.  And  thus  the 
republics  established  by  Napoleon  were  short-lived.  The 
people  could  not  appreciate  its  meaning,  and  when  the  influ- 
ence of  this  master  mechanic  was  directed  in  other  channels, 
the  powers  of  royalty  gained  ascendency  and  the  fruits  of 
conquest  were  lost.  No,  not  lost,  for  in  the  reestablishment 
of  monarchies  a  broader  government  was  instituted,  more  in 
harmony  with  the  rights  of  man. 

We  will  not  enumerate  the  victories  of  Napoleon  in  Italy, 
in  Austria,  or  Egypt.  Repubhcs  were  formied  in  Italy,  and 
Austria  ceded  her  Belgian  provinces.  The  "Battle  of  the 
Pyramids"  opened  a  victory  to  all  Egypt.  In  1799  he  led 
his  army  to  attack  the  Turks  in  Syria,  but  at  Acre  was 
defeated  by  an  English  army  and  returned  to  Egypt.  His 
plans  were  now  changed.  Instead  of  a  conquest  of  Persia, 
India,  and  all  Southern  Asia,  he  turned  his  eyes  towards 
home.  His  army  was  worn  and  thinned  in  ranks.  He  was 
bitterly  disappointed,  and  while  he  had  conquered  Egypt,  yet 
he  had  lost  the  great  ambition  sought.  He  had  not  conquered 
Syria,  and,  like  Alexander,  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  Himalayas. 

We  will  now  return  to  the  affairs  in  France.  Napoleon  had 
been  sent  to  Egypt  by  the  Directory,  more  for  fear  of  his 
presence  in  France,  than  for  the  victories  he  won.  They  knew 
his  power  among  the  people  and  secretly  invested  him  with 
.command  for  foreign  conquests,  believing  that  discretion  was 
the  better  part  of  valor.  While  Napoleon  was  winning  vic- 
tories in  Egypt  the  armies  of  the  Republic  were  victorious 
at  home.     In  the  year  1798  the  French  set  up  three  new 


Napoleon  Bonaparte.  239 

republics  by  conquest  in  Italy.  These  were  the  Tiberine, 
Helvetic,  and  Parthenopaean.  The  Tiberine,  or  Roman  Re- 
public, was  established  by  the  capture  of  Rome;  the  Hel- 
vetic, by  an  invasion  of  Switzerland,  and  the  Parthenopaean 
was  the  capture  of  the  little  kingdom  of  Naples. 

In  the  capture  of  Rome  a  cruel  plot  was  invented,  which 
incited  an  insurrection  against  the  Papal  government.  A 
street  mob,  which  had  been  purposely  stimulated  to  deeds  of 
violence,  attacked  a  French  division,  and  General  Dupliot 
was  killed.  Troops  were  immediately  ordered  to  invade 
Rome,  capture  the  Pope  and  proclaim  the  Roman  Republic. 
On  the  15th  of  February,  1798,  the  Tiberine  Republic  was 
declared  and  the  Pope  was  divested  of  all  authority  and  car- 
ried away  a  prisoner.  He  was  taken  to  Siena,  thence  to  Flor- 
ence, and  thence  to  Valence,  where,  in  the  agony  of  a  broken 
heart,  he  died  August  29,  1799. 

Probably  no  act  of  this  new  republic  was  less  justifiable, 
less  honorable,  less  Christian,  than  the  capture  of  the  Pope 
and  holding  him  a  prisoner  until  death.  It  was  the  intrigue  of 
the  old  doctrine — no  God,  no  Christ,  no  Resurrection.  The 
sophistry  of  Voltaire,  the  worsihip  of  Reason,  still  worked  in 
the  minds  of  the  people,  and  this  new  pjersecution  was  but 
another  attempt  to  overthrow  the  Church  of  Christ  and 
establish  religious  anarchy,  chaos,  and  confusion. 

The  Pope  scarcely  murmured  against  the  demands  of  his 
enemies.  Like  the  Apostle  Peter,  he  patiently  submitted  to 
persecution,  believing  that  in  God's  own  time  wrongs  would 
be  righted,  religious  worship  established,  and  the  Church 
made  stronsfdr  and  more  endurinsf.     He  bowed  his  head  in 


240  Christian  Persecutions. 

meekness,  and  in  silent  supplication  prayed  to  the  God  of  his 
Fathers  to  protect  his  people,  protect  his  Church,  and  protect 
the  Great  Gospel  of  Truth.  He  died  August  29,  1799,  a 
martyr  to  the  ambition  of  France.  But  in  his  death  grew  a 
remonstrance  of  injustice,  a  feeling  of  loving  pity,  and  a 
strong  desire  to  establish  the  right.  Like  the  persecutions  of 
Roman  Christians,  these  acts  were  but  the  workings  of  God's 
methods  to  clear  away  the  sopihistry  of  Reason,  establish 
Divine  wQirship,  and  plant  Christianity  in  the  minds  of  all  men. 

In  this  act  of  persecution  the  French  Republic  lost  the 
respect  of  the  nations  of  Europe.  They  denounced  it  as  one 
of  cruelty,  oppression,  and  despotism.  They  sought  to  com- 
fort the  Pope  in  words  of  consolation.  They  grieved  to  see 
the  head  of  the  Church  ruthlessly  torn  from  his  place  of 
worship,  disarmed  of  authority,  condemned  to  exile,  and 
bowed  down  in  grief  and  agony.  While  France  may  luave 
looked  upon  the  event  as  of  human  benefit,  yet  the  whole 
world  stood  aghast  at  this  cniel  demonstration  of  power. 
What  was  lost  in  the  victory  of  French  armies  was  gained  in 
the  great  triumph  of  filial  love  and  affection.  The  martyrdom 
of  the  Pope  broke  the  ice  of  indifference  among  the  people  of 
those  nations  who  were  lukewarm  in  worsihip,  and  in  the  future 
restoration  the  ties  of  love  became  stronger  and  the  power  of 
Truth  more  brilliant  and  everlasting. 

On  the  1st  of  December,  following  the  death  of  the  Pope, 
thirty-five  cardinals  met  in  convention,  or  conclave,  at  Venice, 
and  proceeded  to  elect  a  new  head  of  the  Catholic  Church. 
On  May  14,  1800,  Barnabas  Chiaramonti  was  elected  Pope 
with  the  title  of  Pius  VII.  Under  the  patronage  of  the  allied 
powers  of  Europe  he  was  returned  to  Rome. 


Napoleon  Bonaparte.  241 

The  persecution  of  the  Pope  by  the  French  RepubHc 
seems  to  have  been  followed  with  a  series  of  disasters.  The 
destruction  of  the  French  fleet  by  Nelson,  the  coalition  of  the 
leading  powers  of  Europe  against  France,  the  disasters  in 
Italy,  seem  to  represent  a  judgment  against  the  persecution 
of  worship.  While  many  of  us  may  not  view  these  defeats 
as  a  judgment  sent  by  God,  yet  the  connection  is  so  close, 
and  the  effect  so  just,  that  we  can  see  the  inevitable  result  of 
tyranny,  ambition,  and  persecution. 

Early  in  1799,  war  began  in  almost  every  part  of  Europe 
at  the  same  time.  The  French  were  everywhere  defeated  in 
Italy  and  driven  from  their  former  fields  of  successes.  It  was 
only  by  the  greatest  efforts  that  the  French  Generals  held  the 
allied  forces  from  entering  on  the  soil  of  France.  Victories 
were  lost,  the  Republics  of  Tiberine  and  Parthenopaean  were 
abolished,  and  in  France  the  Directory  was  unpopular  and  the 
Republic  on  the  verge  of  another  revolution.  The  Jacobin 
clubs  were  again  being  organized.  Confusion  prevailed  every- 
where. Divisions  were  being  instituted,  and  grave  appre- 
hension was  felt  throughout  the  Republic.  The  Directory  were 
charged  with  exiling  Napoleon  by  sending  him  to  Egypt,  and 
desperation  reigned  supreme. 

The  news  of  this  desperate  condition  of  the  French  people 
reached  Napoleon  soon  after  he  returned  to  Egypt  from  his 
disastrous  defeat  in  Syria.  With  his  usual  display  of  quick- 
ness of  action,  he  formed  a  bold  resolve.  He  would  return 
to  France,  assume  command  of  the  armies,  and  commence 
a  new  deal.  Placing  his  army  under  the  command  of  Kleber. 
he  disclosed  his  designs  to  his  trusted  officer  in  these  signifi 


242  "  Christian  Persecutions. 

cant  words:  "The  reign  of  the  lawyers  is  over."  How  pro- 
phetic were  his  words!  Subsequent  events  are  only  read  to 
see  the  forethought  and  ambition  of  Napoleon.  He  returned 
to  France  and  was  welcomed  by  the  wildest  enthusiasm. 
Thousands  of  people  paraded  the  streets  shouting  the  name  of 
Napoleon.  They  instinctively  felt  that  this  military  chieftain 
could  restore  the  fortunes  of  France,  establish  harmony,  and 
restore  peace  and  prosperity.  Processions  of  immense  mag- 
nitude were  seen  everywhere.  Floats  declaring  Napoleon 
Dictator  were  cheered  by  the  populace.  Fireworks  were  given 
in  honor  of  his  return,  and  one  unbounded  demonstration  of 
joy  was  the  reception  of  France,  not  in  Paris  alone,  but  in 
every  city  and  'hamlet  of  the  land. 

Napoleon  was  immediately  appointed  to  the  command  of 
all  the  armies  of  France.  The  government  of  France  was 
vested  in  a  Board  of  Directors  and  two  legislative  bodies: 
The  Council  of  Five  Hundred  and  the  Council  of  the  Ancients 
— the  latter  embracing  two  hundred  and  fifty  persons,  of 
whom  no  one  could  be  under  fifty  years  of  age.  Having 
planned  the  overthrow  of  this  form  of  government,  Napoleon 
appeared  before  the  Council  of  Five  Hundred  and  boldly 
made  known  his  plans.  The  Council  was  at  first  thunder- 
struck, dismayed,  and  astonished  at  the  cool  demands  of 
Napoleon.  Recovering  from  the  shock  of  surprise,  they 
denounced  him  as  a  traitor,  a  public  enemy,  and  a  conspirator 
against  the  Republic.  Napoleon  did  not  stop  to  war  with 
words,  but  withdrew  from  the  chamber  and  sent  in  a  file  of 
grenadiers,  who  in  a  few  minutes  cleared  the  hall  without 
firing  a  single  shot. 


Napoleon  Bonaparte.  243 

Those  of  the  Council  of  Five  Hundred  who  were  favorable 
to  Napoleon  were  now  brought  together  by  his  brother 
Lucien,  who  was  president  of  the  Council.  These,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Council  of  Ancients,  which  was  on  his  side,  voted 
to  abolish  the  Directory  and  establish  an  executive  power 
of  three  persons,  elected  for  ten  years,  and  called  Consuls. 
Napoleon  was  given  the  first  or  supreme  power,  under  the 
titlCj^of  First  Consul.  There  was  also  established  a  Tribunate, 
a  Council  of  State,  a  Legislative  Chamber,  and  a  Senate. 
These  gave  to  the  people  the  appearance  of  a  representative 
government,  a  new  Republic,  but  in  fact  was  the  centering  of 
all  power  in  the  hands  of  Napoleon.  He  was  now  in  pos- 
session of  absolute  control.  He  was  commander  of  all  the 
armies,  the  head  of  legislative  power,  and  in  the  eyes  of  the 
French  people  was  a  king  of  kings.  His  brilliant  achieve- 
ments in  the  overthrow  of  the  Reign  of  Terror,  his  conquests 
in  Ifaly  and  Egypt,  had  dazzled  their  eyes,  and  when  this  new 
constitution  was  referred  to  them  for  endorsement  the  vote 
stood  three  millions  against  fifteen  hundred. 


CHAPTER.  XX. 

NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE— Continued. 

IV  TAPOLEON  was  now  the  Cromwell  of  France.  He  had 
A  ^  overthrown  the  first  French  Republic.  He  stood  as  the 
First  Consul,  Dictator,  Despot,  and  while  it  had  closed  forever 
the  French  Revolution  and  had  established  freedom  of  worship, 
yet  the  ambition  of  this  Autocrat  was  to  come  in  conflict  with 
the  Church  of  Rome.  He  was  to  demand  the  amendment  of 
Church  edicts,  laws,  rules,  and  regulations,  because  they  were 
not  in  harmony  with  his  views,  plans,  or  relations.  If  the 
French  Republic  had  persecuted  the  head  of  the  Church  while 
Napoleon  was  in  Egypt,  he,  on  his  return,  had  not  only  per- 
secuted the  new  Pope,  but  had  sought  to  extort  from  him 
changes  in  Church  authority  that  were  not  in  the  interest  of 
Christian  discipline.  Not  content  with  absolute  dictation  over 
the  physical  conditions  of  France,  he  sought  to  dictate  its 
spiritual  wants.  He  would  stand  at  the  head  of  both  Church 
and  State.  The  new  government  was  really  a  veiled  military 
despotism.  Its  name  was  Republican,  but  in  fact  there  was 
no  absolute  government  except  a  military  despotism. 

Napoleon  was  disappointed  in  not  securing  the  recogni- 
tion of  his  government  by  Austria  and  England.  These  two 
countries  regarded  him  as  an  upstart,  a  fortunate  usurper,  an 
arbitrary  egotist,  and  in  no  way  worthy  of  recognition.  They 
believed  that  the  throne  of  France  belonged,  by  virtue  of 


Napoleon  Bonaparte.  245 

divine  right,  to  the  royal  family  of  Boufbons.  But  NapoleOn 
determined  to  teach  these  countries  the  necessity  of  recogniz- 
ing him  as  the  head  of  a  great  nation.  He  mustered  his 
armies  and  planned  to  attack  Austria  by  a  double  blow.  One 
army,  under  Moreau,  was  sent  to  invade  Germany,  and  the 
other,  under  his  own  command,  crossed  the  Alps,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1800  gained  his  memorable  victory  upon  the 
renowned  field  of  Marengo.  In  this  battle  the  Austrians  were 
completely  overwhelmed,  and  for  a  second  time  Italy  lay  at 
the  feet  of  Napoleon.  On  the  very  day  of  the  battle  of 
Marengo,  Kleber  was  assassinated,  and  the  Frencth  army  in 
Egypt  soon  surrendered  to  the  English.  But  these  reverses 
were  soon  balanced  by  fresh  victories  in  Europe.  MoreaU 
won  a  decisive  victory  over  the  Austrians  at  Hohenlinden. 
and  Emperor  Francis  II  was  forced  to  sue  for  peace,  which 
was  signed  Febntary,  1801.  The  emperor  also  recognized 
the  Batavian,  Helvetian,  Liguridn,  and  Cisalpine  Republics. 
In  March,  1802,  the  English  govefnment  was  willing  to  rec- 
ognize the  sovereignty  of  Napoleon  and  sign  articles  of  peace, 
whidi  was  done,  and  for  some  time  it  retrained  unbfoken. 

Having  accomplished  his  desire  to  compel  the  Austrians 
and  English  to  acknowledge  his  government,  he  now  turned 
his  attention  to  the  improvement  and  reform  of  the  internal 
affairs  of  France.  Tliat  he  was  powerful  in  the  establishment 
of  industries,  of  afohitectufe,  of  engineeting,  was  evidenced  by 
the  wonderful  prosperity  which  followed.  His  great  military 
road  over  the  Alps  surpasses  in  bold  constrtlctiire  the  most 
difficult  feats  of  ancient  Roman  engineering.  His  far-readhing 
mind  saw  that  the  strength  of  government  was  not  alone  in 


246  Christian  Persecutions. 

arms,  but  in  education,  commerce,  arts  and  sciences,  and  all 
that  advances  the  pride  and  prosperity  of  a  nation.  These  he 
established  with  lavish  outlay  of  public  funds.  Institutions  of 
learning,  museums,  libraries,  theaters,  public  works,  were 
established  on  so  grand  a  scale  that  the  pride  of  the  French 
people  became  a  new  institution  of  purpose.  They  were 
proud  of  their  Napoleon,  proud  of  their  abilities,  proud  of 
their  achievements.  The  great  chieftain  had  won  the  hearts 
of  his  people  in  war  and  in  peace.  Not  only  had  he  expanded 
their  abilities  in  all  the  pursuits  of  life,  but  he  opened  the 
churches,  reestablished  the  Christian  Sunday,  and  priests  who 
had  refused  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  "Constitution 
of  the  year  III"  (1795)  were  released  from  prison,  where  they 
had  been  subjected  to  cruel  tyranny  for  years.  Tlie  Roman 
Catholic  religion  was  declared  to  be  the  religion  of  the  French 
people,  and  the  clergy  were  provided  with  government  annu- 
ities for  tlieir  Christian  service.  .The  public  credit  was 
strengthened  and  general  confidence  among  the  people  was 
established. 

In  order  to  promote  a  competition  in  all  the  pursuits  of 
life,  he  established  a  system  of  Merits  by  which  honor  was 
conferred  upon  those  who  won  in  these  distinctive  features  of 
competition.  None  were  excluded.  The  lowly  in  birth  stood 
upon  the  same  platform  as  those  of  royal  blood.  It  was  the 
development  of  character  and  worth  he  sought  to  reward. 
This  system  was  called  the  Legion  of  Honor,  and  was  the 
great  incentive  power  of  action.  This  was  the  first  time  the 
people  of  France  had  been  given  an  opportunity  of  developing 
their  abilities  in  the  equal  contest  of  competition.    Previous  to 


Napoleon  Bonaparte.-  247 

the  Reign  of  Terror  there  had  been  no  avenue  by  which  the 
common  people  could  receive  praise,  honor,  or  merit.  It  was 
an  incentive  to  higher  purposes,  higher  aspirations,  and 
higher  plans  of  life.  It  became  popular  in  every  rank  of  labor, 
in  the  study  of  art,  of  language,  and  in  the  inventive  genius 
of  the  people.  "In  the  army  it  was  the  stimulus  for  better 
discipline,  better  thoughts  of  patriotism,  and  better  courage 
in  the  defense  of  right,  truth,  and  justice.  It  was  everywhere 
accepted  as  one  of  the  marvelous  developments  of  Napoleon. 

Popular  as  was  the  Order  of  Merit,  yet  the  adoption  of 
the  celebrated  "Code  Napoleon"  was  the  crowning  glory  of 
his  internal  achievements.  This  code  guaranteed  to  every 
person  equal  rights,  under  the  law,  in  the  pursuits  of  happi- 
ness and  in  the  protection  of  property.  It  was  enacted  in 
1803  and  1804.  It  destroyed  every  principle  of  inequality,  of 
iniquitous,  oppressive  customs,  of  all  the  rules,  regulations 
and  laws  that  were  inherited  from  the  feudal  ages.  It  gave 
to  the  peasant  the  same  rights  as  to  the  noble,  and  is  to-day 
the  foundation  of  law  in  France,  Switzerland,  Germany,  Italy, 
Holland  and  Belgium.  It  is  said  of  Napoleon,  had  he  done 
nothing  else  save  to  give  this  code  to  Europe,  he  would  have 
conferred  an  inestimable  benefit  upon  mankind.  When  it  is 
known  that  there  existed  in  France  nearly  three  hundred 
different  systems  of  laws,  it  is  easy  to  understand  that  the 
adoption  of  the  "Code  Napoleon''  was  a  grand  step  in  the 
harmony  of  law  and  order. 

Napoleon  now  held  the  most  prominent  and  proudest 
position  of  any  man  in  the  world.  The  greatness  of  his  mili- 
tary genius  was  rung  from  nation  to  nation  and  from  conti- 


248  Christian  Persecutions. 

iieiit  to  continent.  Europe  was  bewildered  by  his  brilliant 
niilitary  successes,  and  in  the  excellency  of  his  government 
they  saw  the  splendor  of  his  power  of  execution.  Although 
al'bitfary  in  the  execution  of  laws,  yet  the  hearts  of  his  coun- 
trymen swelled  with  pride  and  adoration.  He  had  won  their 
love  and  affection,  and  in  their  abiding  confidence  his  will  was 
their  will  and  his  power  was  their  power.  Had  he  been  less 
ambitioits  he  might  have  made  France  the  grandest  and  most 
powerful  nation  on  earth.  Not  content  with  the  development 
of  internal  energy,  he  sought  to  extend  his  power  of  empire, 
until  all  Europe  was  obhged  to  band  themselves  together 
for  mutual  protection,  not  so  much  against  France,  as  against 
her  aggressive  ruler. 

In  1802  the  people  of  France  were  so  eager  to  reward 
Napoleon  for  his  great  services,  and  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
tiiluing  his  magnificent  schemes  of  government  in  an  un- 
broken succession,  voted  him  Consul  for  life,  with  the  power 
to  name  his  successor.  Thus  was  he  nearing  the  goal  of  his 
ambition — an  empire,  with  absolute  control,  and  Napoleon 
Bonaparte  its  emperor. 

In  1804  the  enemies  of  Napoleon  sought  to  conspire 
against  his  life,  and  in  their  extended  activity  the  people 
resolved  to  increase  his  power,  and  make  more  stable  the 
government  he  had  founded.  They  would  change  their  repub- 
lic to  an  empire,  and  crown  Napoleon  as  its  first  emperor. 
Accordingly,  a  decree  was  submitted  to  the  people,  and  by  an 
almost  unanimous  vote  it  was  approved  and  ratified. 

Let  us  now  return  to  the  relations  existing  between  Napo- 
leon and  the  Catholic  Church.     On  becoming  First  Consul 


Napoleon  Bonaparte.  249 

he  opened  negotiations  with  Pope  Pius  VII  for  the  purpose 
of  establishing  a  new  agreement  between  his  government  and 
the  Church.  The  demands  of  Napoleon  were  so  immoderate 
that  it  was  with  great  difficulty  they  reached  an  understanding. 
On  July  15,  1801,  a  new  Concordat  was  accepted,  by  which 
the  Church  made  great  concessions  to  the  French  govern- 
ment. In  this  new  agreement  Napoleon  guarantees  public 
worship,  if  in  the  judgment  of  the  government  the  public 
safety  is  not  endangered.  In  article  eleven  he  denies  a  return 
of  confiscated  property,  leaving  the  possessor  in  undisturbed 
possession.  This  was  a  hard  blow  to  the  Church.  Having 
been  stripped  of  all  property,  they  were  now  denied  a  right 
of  recfovery.  They  were  poor,  needy,  and  dependent.  Yet  the 
French  government  would  neither  restore  their  estates,  nor 
endow  their  seminaries  or  institutions  of  learning.  Also, 
Napoleon  demanded  the  right  to  nominate  the  bishops,  thus 
dispossessing  the  Church  of  its  right  to  govern  itself.  But 
the  Pope  was  overjoyed  at  the  restoration  of  religious  wor- 
sihip,  even  if  it  were  conducted  under  the  supervision  and  con- 
trol of  the  police.  The  Catholic  Religion  was  made  the  wor- 
ship of  the  French  people,  and  although  the  Pope  had  sur- 
rendered much  of  Church  authority,  yet  he  was  happy 
in  the  freedom  which  had  been  so  long  denied. 

Not  content  with  concessions  wrung  from  the  Pope,  Napo- 
leon, some  months  later,  annexed  to  these  agreements  seventy- 
seven  "Organic  Articles"  which  cancelled  several  important 
provisions  of  the  Concordat,  and  restored  Gallicanism  to  its 
ancient  state,  which  restricted  the  Papal  authority  in  France, 
making  it  dependent  more  upon  the  will  of  the  government. 

(17) 


250  Christian  Persecutions. 

The  Church  authorities  protested  by  every  means  possible 
against  these  articles,  but  no  attention  whatever  was  paid  to 
their  entreaties.  Napoleon  was  deaf  to  all  protestations.  It 
was  his  idea  of  ecclesiastical  duty,  and  his  idea  must  prevail. 
Being  at  the  head  of  the  French  nation  all  things,  Church  and 
State,  must  submit  to  his  dictation. 

On  May  8,  ISOtt,  Napoleon  was  proclaimed  Emperor.  An 
invitation  was  sent  to  Pius  VII  to  come  to  Paris  and  crown 
him  under  the  usual  forms  and  ceremonies.  Many  cardinals 
and  Church  officials  tried  to  dissuade  the  Pope  from  accept- 
ing the  invitation.  The  course  pursued  by  Napoleon  in  regard 
to  arbitrary  authority  against  the  Church  gave  the  feeling  that 
the  Pope  should  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  formal  dedication 
of  the  state  to  the  authority  of  the  new  emperor.  But,  as  the 
Pope  always  considered  the  best  interest  of  his  people,  he 
overlooked  his  disappointment  and  set  out  for  Paris  in 
response  to  the  wishes  of  Napoleon,  where,  on  the  2d  of 
December,  the  coronation  took  place.  Here  was  performed 
a  ceremony  that  was  peculiar  and  significant.  The  Pope, 
after  performing  the  necessary  rites,  declined  to  place  the 
crown,  whereupon  Napoleon  took  the  emblem  of  authority 
and  set  it  on  his  own  head. 

From  this  time  forward  the  relations  of  Napoleon  to  the 
Holy  See  became  less  and  less  mutual.  And  while  the  em- 
peror sougiht  to  benefit  the  Church  in  various  ways,  yet  in 
return  for  his  favors  he  sought  complete  dominion  over  her. 
It  was  his  will  that  the  Pope  should  be  under  his  supervision, 
or  control,  and  when  he  requested  him  to  regard  the  emperor's 
enemies  as  foes  to  himself,  he  had  gone  to  the  extreme  limit 
of  sacrifice. 


Napoleon  Bonaparte.  251 

Napoleon  also  asked  the  Pope  to  grant  several  other 
requests,  among  which  are  the  following: 

He  would  have  him  acknowledge  his  brother  Joseph  as 
King  of  Naples. 

Recognize  Talleyrand  as  Prince  of  Benevento, 

Bernadotte  as  Prince  of  Ponte  Corvo. 

Break  the  marriage  between  his  brother  Jerome  and  Miss 
Patterson. 

Closing  his  harbors  to  the  enemies  of  the  emperor. 

These  requests  the  Pope  positively  refused,  and  in  per- 
secution of  these  denials,  General  Miollis  entered  Rome 
February  2,  1808,  where  the  Pope  was  subjected  to  gross  out- 
rages, and  his  cardinals  banished.  On  May  17,  1809,  an 
imperial  edict  was  published,  announcing  that  the  remainder 
of  the  States  of  the  Church  would  no  longer  he  under  Papal 
authority,  but  annexed  to  the  French  Empire. 

This  wholesale  confiscation  of  Church  authority  was 
replied  to  by  a  bull  of  excommunication,  and  a  special  pro- 
test against  the  unwarranted  attack  against  the  Pope.  For 
this  execution  of  duty  the  Pope  was  taken  prisoner  by  General 
Radet,  and,  in  company  with  his  Secretary  of  State,  Cardinal 
Pacca,  was  taken  to  Grenoble.  Tlie  Car^dinal  was  imprisoned 
in  the  fortress  of  Fenestrella,  while  the  Pope  was  taken  to 
Savona. 

Napoleon  now  determined  upon  a  new  plan  to  extort  from 
the  Pope  a  consent  to  his  wishes.  He  ordered  the  cardinals 
to  come  to  Paris.  Through  their  influence  he  hoped  to  change 
the  mind  of  the  Pope,  but  in  this  he  was  disappointed.  The 
Pope  remained  firm  in  his  defense  of  Church  government. 


252  Christian  Persecutions. 

NapoleoH;  through  the  Ecclesiastical  Commission,  convoked  a 
National  Council  at  Paris,  and  a  lengthy  debate  ensued.  The 
Council  demanded  the  liberation  of  the  Pope,  sent  an  address 
to  the  emperor,  and  declared  itself  incompetent  to  decide  on 
the  main  question  brought  before  it.  Napoleon  imprisoned 
the  most  courageous  bishops,  and  by  extortions  obtained  a 
portion  of  the  concessions  desired,  although  up  to  this  time 
he  had  not  obtained  what  he  sought. 

'  A  deputation  was  now  sent  to  Savona  to  confer  with  the 
Pope  and  obtain  his  consent.  Being  thus  besieged  and  de- 
serted by  his  counsellors,  and  desiring  to  prevent  greater  dis- 
aster to  the  Church,  he  reluctantly  granted  further  conces- 
sions, but  positively  refused  to  grant  the  full  wishes  of  the 
emperor.  The  Pope  was  now  taken  sick,  and  although  he 
was  not  expected  to  live,  and  had  even  taken  the  last  sacra- 
ment, yet  he  was  compelled  to  continue  his  journey,  arriving 
at  Fontainebleau,  June  20,  1812. 

After  the  memorable  defeat  of  Napoleon  by  the  Russians, 
in  the  winter  of  1812-1813,  he  again  extorted  from  the  Pope 
new  articles  of  concessions,  but  upon  further  consideration  the 
Pope  recalled  his  new  agreements  and  insisted  that  these 
articles  could  not  become  a  part  of  a  new  Concordat  and 
law  of  the  empire.  The  victories  of  the  allied  forces  of  Europe 
over  Napoleon  prevented  any  further  contests  between  the 
em.peror  and  the  Church.  The  Pope  was  set  at  liberty  in 
March,  1814,  and  on  May  24  made  his  triumphal  entry  into 

Rome. 

Thus  was  the  Church  once  more  freed  from  the  tyrannical 
dictation   of   the   renowned   emperor.    He   had   defeated   the 


Napoleon  Bonaparte.  253 

armies  of  Europe,  and  in  return  had  been  defeated,  captured, 
and  exiled,  and  in  his  long  sohtude  upon  the  island  of  St. 
Helena  he  had  ample  time  to  reflect  upon  the  atrocity  of  the 
crimes  he  had  committed  against  the  Pope  and  his  authority, 
and  how  in  the  fullness  of  Divine  promises  the  Church  was 
made  stronger  and  more  enduring. 

Thus  died  one  of  the  greatest  military  geniuses  the  world 
ever  saw.  But  alas!  his  treatment  of  Christianity  was  cruel 
and  inhuman.  He  thought  not  of  the  future  or  the  here- 
after. He  thought  not  of  the  soul  or  of  immortality.  He 
Uiought  not  of  Christ  or  His  Church.  He  played  liis  soul 
in  the  great  maelstrom  of  conflict,  and  soug'ht  wisdom  only 
in  his  own  strength.  He  came  a  conquering  hero,  but  died 
alone  and  friendless.  He  built  up  edifices  of  man,  but  tore 
down  the  temples  of  God.  He  established  the  principles  of 
liberty,  but  demanded  absolute  sovereignty.  He  was  just, 
yet  he  was  unjust.  He  was  honorable,  yet  he  was  dishonor- 
able. He  was  loyal,  and  yet  he  was  disloyal.  He  professed  a 
faith  in  Christ,  and  yet  he  denied  His  holy  servants.  He  was 
the  friend  of  France,  yet  he  was  her  worst  enemy.  He  died, 
yet  he  still  lives.  He  lives  in  the  successes  of  his  energies, 
in  the  estabHshment  of  government,  in  the  industries  of  his 
creation,  and  in  the  memory  of  his  countrymen.  Peace  be 
to  his  ashes.  May  his  wisdom  be  perpetuated,  and  may  his 
follies  and  crimes  be  forgotten. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

ORIGIN  OF  THE  ENGLISH  CHURCH. 

THE  origin  of  the   Church  of  England  is  known  to  all 
students  of  history,  and  may  be  summarized  as  follows: 

1.  Henry  VHI,  of  Eng-land,  desired  to  obtain  a  divorce 
from  his  wife,  Catherine  of  Aragon,  and  thus  be  free  to  marry 
Anne  Boleyn,  a  beautiful  and  vivacious  maid  of  honor  in  the 
queen's  household. 

2.  The  king  petitioned  Pope  Clement  VH  to  grant  a  sus- 
pension of  Church  authority  and  allow  the  divorce  and  second 
marriage. 

3.  The  Pope  refused  to  grant  the  request. 

4.  Henry,  being  highly  indignant  at  the  Pope's  refusal  to 
violate  the  sacred  tenets  of  marriage  vows,  declared  himself 
Supreme  Head  of  the  English  Catholics  and  compelled  the 
clergy  to  recognize  him  as  such. 

5.  Thomas  Cranmer  was  promoted  to  the  office  of  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  who,  being  a  servile  follower  of  the 
king,  pronounced  the  marriage  W*th  Catherine  invalid,  and  the 
one  the  king  had  already  secretW  contracted  with  Anne 
Boleyn  to  be  lawful. 

6.  On  March  23,  1534,  the  Pope  cancelled  this  decision, 
which  brought  a  complete  rupture  between  the  Pope  and 
Henry. 

7.  The  same  year  the  Pope  excommunicated  Henry  and 
relieved  his  subjects  from  their  allegiance  to  him. 


Origin  of  the  English  Church.  255 

8.  Persecution  of  Catholics  by  Henry  and  the  estabUsh- 
ment  of  the  EngHsh  Church. 

At  the  time  of  the  beginning  of  this  chapter  the  people  of 
England  were  devout  Catholics.  So  earnest  was  Henry  VHI 
in  his  zeal  that  Leo  X,  in  1521,  rewarded  him  witli  the  title 
of  "Defender  of  the  Faith."  At  this  time  Martin  Luther,  an 
apostate  monk,  attempted  to  spread  his  new  religion  by  scat- 
tering broadcast  among  the  people  his  articles  of  faith  and  rea- 
sons for  denouncing  the  Catholic  Church,  Henry  was  highly 
indignant  at  his  audacity,  and  wrote  articles  strongly  denounc- 
ing Luther  for  his  reHgious  opposition.  For  his  earnest  labors 
in  condemning  Martin  Luther  he  was  rewarded  by  this  special 
title,  but  strange  to  say,  this  most  zealous  of  Christians  after- 
wards became  the  bitterest  enemy  of  the  Catholic  Church. 
From  our  standpoint  of  to-day  it  is  hard  to  see  how  an  car- 
nest  Christian  can  forsake  his  Church  and  become  its  enemy, 
but  when  we  consider  the  make-up  of  the  man,  his  willful 
and  impetuous  disposition,  and  his  selfish  propensities,  we 
need  not  wonder  at  his  traitorous  conduct. 

The  reasons  for  this  sudden  denunciation  of  faith  was  not 
one  of  conscience,  but  one  of  a  licentious  and  political  nature. 
Henry's  marriage  with  Catherine  had  been  prompted  by  policy 
and  not  by  love.  Five  children  had  been  born,  but  all  had 
died  except  a  daughter  named  Mary,  who  was  in  delicate 
health  and  might  not  reach  womanhood,  thus  cutting  off  any 
direct  heirship  to  his  throne.  Considering  this  question,  and 
having  become  infatuated  with  the  beauty  and  brilliancy  of 
Anne  Boleyn,  he  determined  to  secure  a  divorce  from  Cath- 
erine and  take  Anne  as  wife.     Knowing  that  divorces  were 


256  Christian  Persecutions. 

not  permitted  by  the  Catholic  Church,  he  sought  to  evade 
the  marriag-e  law  on  the  grounds  of  illegality,  and  petitioned 
the  Pope  to  annul  it.  This  the  Pope  refused  to  do,  and  by 
the  advice  of  Thomas  Cromwell,  a  servile  follower  of  the  king, 
Henry  decided  to  appoint  Cranmer,  a  Oamibridge  doctor, 
who  supported  him  by  publishing  articles  in  favor  of  the 
divorce,  to  the  high  position  of  Archbishop  of  Canterbury. 
This  new  bishop  immediately  established  a  court,  tried  the 
case,  and,  of  course,  decided  that  the  first  marriage  was  not 
lawful  because  Catherine  was  the  widow  of  his  brother.  The 
bishop  also  decided  that  the  king's  marriage  with  Anne 
Boleyn,  though  secret,  was  legal  and  in  harmony  with  the 
Church. 

The  Pope  immediately  excommunicated  Henry,  who  de- 
termined on  revenge  and  called  Parliamient,  who,  not  daring 
to  thwart  the  wishes  of  the  king,  passed  the  Act  of  Supremacy, 
which  conferred  upon  Henry  the  absolute  control  of  the  vari- 
ous departments  of  the  Church  in  England.  By  tliis  act 
he  was  to  be  recognized  as  the  Supreme  Plead,  given  control 
of  its  offices  and  revenues.  In  order  to  completely  establish 
himself  as  the  Supreme  Head,  an  act  was  passed  making  a 
denial  of  this  title  as  high  treason.  Henry  was  now  given, 
not  only  the  control  of  the  Church,  but  the  power  to  condemn 
to  death  anyone  who  might  deny  his  right.  This  was  indeed 
a  most  lamentable  position  for  the  Catholics  to  occupy.  To 
protest  against  the  law  was  treason  and  to  respect  it  was 
against  their  teachings  of  faith,  but  we  must  not  censure  these 
people  too  severely  for  yielding  to  the  terrible  declaration  of 
the  law.  They  were  allowed  to  worship,  but  it  must  be  in 
accordance  with  law. 


Origin  of  the  English  Church.  257 

By  the  enactment  of  this  statute  the  Church  was  com- 
pletely severed  from  the  Roman  See.  Catholics  were,  under 
penalty  of  death,  obliged  to  worship  under  the  new  dispensa- 
tion, which  became  the  Established  Church  of  England.  Thus 
we  have  a  condensed  history  of  how  and  why  this  church  came 
into  existence,  and  we  will  now  briefly  recite  some  of  the 
persecutions  which  followed. 

King  Henry  had  now  established  a  little  Popedom  of  his 
own  invention,  without  divine  authority,  and  in  hostile  oppK>si- 
tion  to  all  laws,  edicts,  and  commands  of  the  Catholic  Church. 
He  had  declared  himself  greater  than  the  Pope,  and  under  the 
laws  passed  by  his  dictation  he  was  dictator  of  how  people 
should  worship,  what  should  be  their  belief,  and  what  should 
be  condemned.  Among  the  doctrines  he  condemned  were 
holy  pilgrimages,  belief  in  purgatory,  representations  of  Christ 
and  the  Holy  Virgin,  historic  relics,  convents,  monasteries, 
penance,  and  all  forms  of  Pope  authority.  In  the  suppression 
of  monasteries  and  convents  it  was  a  complete  confiscation  of 
all  property, and  if  there  was  even  murmuring  art  his  unjust  and 
high-handed  acts,  they  were  convicted  of  treason  and  executed. 
Tlie  executioner's  ax  was  constantly  wet  with  the  blood  of  all 
those  who  opposed  his  authority,  or  in  any  way  incurred  his 
displeasure.  He  required  the  head  of  every  family,  and  teach- 
ers of  schools,  to  teach  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  Ten  Command- 
ments, and  the  new  creed.  But,  strange  to  say,  Henry  com- 
manded, under  penalty  of  death,  an  observance  of  the  main 
tenets  of  the  Catholic  dogma,  which  were:  Transubstantia- 
tion,  Communion,  Celibacy  of  the  clergy,  Vows,  Mass  for  the 
dead,  and  auricular  confession.     By  sustaining  these  articles 


258  Christian  Persecutions. 

-k 

of  faith  many  Catholics  were  made  contented,  not  knowing 
nor  reahzing  the  conflict  between  Henry  and  the  Church  of 
Rome. 

In  the  confiscation  of.  property  nearly  one-fifth  of  the  lands 
of  the  kingdom  belonged  to  the  Church,  which  was  turned  to 
the  control  of  the  king,  who  disposed  of  it  to  the  greatest 
advantage  to  himself.  He  founded  schools  and  colleges;  es- 
tablished incomes  for  the  support  of  churches  and  bishoprics; 
made  donations  to  ofificers  and  favorites,  but  the  greater  por- 
tion was  distributed  among  those  whose  influence  was  neces- 
sary to  sustain  him  in  his  new  position.  By  this  wholesale 
disposition  of  property  vast  estates  were  established  which 
created  a  powerful  English  aristocracy,  which  to-day  is  in 
existence  and  can  be  traced  to  this  origin.  Thus  was  the 
English  Church  and  its  most  devoted  followers  financially 
rewarded  by  the  self-appointed  Supreme  Head.  To  call  this 
new  Creed  Protestant  would  be  an  injustice  to  the  orthodox 
belief,  and  to  call  it  Catholic  would  be  an  insult  to  the  Church 
of  Rome,  who  denied  the  illegal  marriage,  who  refused  to 
violate  the  laws  of  marriage,  and  who  excommunicated  their 
Supreme  Head  for  this  violation. 

The  extent  of  confiscation  may  be  realized  when  history 
informs  us  that,  altogether,  there  were  90  colleges,  110  hos- 
pitals, 2,374  chantries  and  chapels,  645  monasteries,  and  540 
convents  broken  up  and  the  property  given  to  advance  the 
cause  of  the  new  Church  and  the  popularity  of  Henry  him- 
self. The  establishment  of  lands  for  the  benefit  of  churches 
was  a  move  to  place  the  new  church  upon  a  solid  financial 
foundation,  for  in  all  ages,  money,  lands,  wealth,  is  a  great 


Origin  of  the  English  Church.  259 

physician  in  easing  the  consciences  of  men.  Henry  was  the 
physician  and  the  confiscated  property  the  prescription  that 
gave  life,  strength  and  ambition  to  the  Church  of  England. 

If  this,  only,  had  been  the  record  of  Henry  VIH  we  might 
view  his  acts  as  those  of  ambition,  but  his  apostasy,  denuncia- 
tion, confiscation,  and  bribery,  pale  beneath  the  malignant 
persecution  of  Catholics.  Nero  was  always  a  pagan  and  knew 
nothing  of  Christianity,  but  Henry  was  raised  a  Catholic,  wor- 
shiped a  Catholic,  defended  the  faith  as  a  Catholic,  but  to 
gratify  his  lust,  his  power,  and  his  ambition,  he  became  one 
of  the  greatest  apostates  the  world  ever  saw.  His  only  excuse 
was  his  passions.  He  had  no  cause  to  denounce,  no  religion 
to  disagree  with,  and  no  philosophy  to  advance.  His  denun- 
ciations were  the  most  corrupt,  vicious,  immoral,  and  depraved 
that  have  been  recorded  in  the  pages  of  English  history.  When 
we  speak  of  the  atrocious  crimes  which  he  committed  against 
his  subjects  we  shudder  at  his  wickedness.  The  illustrious  Sir 
Thomas  More,  the  venerable  Bishop  Fisher,  and  others, 
became  victims  of  execution.  Also,  we  find  recorded  that 
he  ordered  the  execution  of  two  queens,  two  cardinals, 
two  archbishops,  eighteen  bishops,  thirteen  abbots,  five  hun- 
dred priors  and  monks,  thirty-eight  doctors  of  divinity  and 
laws,  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  commoners,  sixty-four 
gentlemen,  twelve  dukes  and  earls,  and  one  hundred  and  ten 
ladies  of  rank,  and  all  because  their  conscience  would  not  allow 
them  to  denounce  their  worship  and  become  apostates  to  the 
Catholic  Church.  They  refused  to  recognize  the  king  as  the 
Supreme  Head  of  the  Church,  and  lay  down  their  lives  as  a 
sacrifice  to  their  fidelity  to  truth,  honor,  and  Christian  faith. 


260  Christian  Persecutions, 

Besides  this,  we  find  in  his  own  household  a  history  as 
•monstrous  as  the  history  of  his  Christian  apostasy.  To  expose 
his  private  Hfe  is  to  write  a  disgraceful  page  in  the  history 
of  the  kings  of  England.  After  disposing  of  Catherine  of 
Aragon  by  a  forced  divorce,  he  marries  the  beautiful  and  ac- 
complished Anne  Boleyn,  but  tiring  of  her,  he  issues  a  charge 
of  unworthiness  and  she  is  executed  by  his  own  order.  The 
next  day  after  the  execution  of  Anne  he  married  Jane  Sey- 
mour, who  died  the  following  year.  His  fourth  wife  was  Anne 
of  Cleves,  who  was  cast  aside  on  the  grounds  of  a  previous 
betrothal,  and  Catherine  Howard  became  the  next  victim  to 
his  shameful  lust  and  cruelty.  Like  Anne  Boleyn,  she  was 
executed  at  his  command,  and  gave  room  for  his  sixth  wife, 
Catherine  Parr,  who  was  a  discreet  woman,  and  by  tact  and 
wisdom  managed  to  retain  his  respect  arid  survived  his  death. 

This  tyrant  died  in  1547,  in  the  thirty-eighth  year  of  his 
reign.  And  now,  as  we  look  back  to  his  history  and  see  the 
inconsistency  of  his  request  to  Pope  Clement  VH,  and  the 
villainy  of  outraged  decency,  criminal  responsibility,  and  the 
desecration  of  God's  holy  command,  we  can  have  only  loath- 
ing and  disgust  for  his  memory.  He  lived  a  life  of  depravity 
and  disgrace;  a  life  of  murderous  sin;  a  life  of  blasphemous 
shame;  a  Hfe  devoid  of  every  Christian  principle,  every  Chris- 
tian form  of  reverence,  and  every  Christian  virtue.  And  yet 
society  glories  in  his  existence,  and  glories  in  its  long  line  of 
ancestry.  He  established  a  nobility  on  the  ruins  of  confisca- 
tion, rapine  and  murder.  He  executed  queens,  nobles,  and 
illustrious  men.  He  desecrated  churches,  schools,  colleges, 
and  burned  their  sacred  vestments.    He  bribed  ministers  of  the 


Origin  of  the  English  Church.  261 

gospel,  prostituted  Parliament,  established  his  own  courts, 
villified  God  and  served  Satan  in  all  the  wickedness  of  thought, 
deed,  and  action. 

Few  men  in  the  world's  history  can  carry  the  record  of 
Henry  VIII.  His  triumphs  through  disgrace  is  a  long  line  of 
wicked  villainy,  and  without  one  act  to  commend,  he  stands  a 
monument  to  himself,  a  mass  of  sickening  sensuality,  of  honest 
loathing,  and  of  beastly  triumph. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

HEIRS    OF    HENRY   VIII. 

EDWARD  VI. 

LADY  JANE   GREY. 

QUEEN  MARY. 

QUEEN  ELIZABETH. 

MARY,  QUEEN    OF    SCOTS. 
JAMES   I. 

I  N  the  complication  of  Henry  VHFs  many  marriages  and 
^  divorces,  the  question  of  succession  to  the  throne  of  Eng- 
land became  one  of  a  peculiar  controversy,  therefore  Parlia- 
ment passed  a  decree  conferring  upon  Henry  the  right  to 
determine  by  will  this  line  of  succession,  w'hich  was  declared 
as  follows: 

He  directed  the  right  of  the  crown  to  fall  first  upon  his 
only  son,  Edward,  by  Jane  Seymour.  If  Edward  should  die 
without  issue,  then  it  would  fall  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Cather- 
ine of  Aragon,  and  with  Mary  dying  without  children,  then 
the  crown  would  fall  upon  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Anne 
Boleyn.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  yet  each  of  these  lines  of 
succession  occupied  the  throne  and  died  without  leaving  de- 
scendants. 

EDWARD  VI. 

Henry  VIII  died  in  1547,  and  Edwatd,  then  a  child  of  only 
nine  years,  was  declared  by  the  provisions  of  the  will  the  suc- 
cessor to  Henry  as  the  rightful  heir  to  the  throne.    But  as  the 

262 


Heirs  op  Henry  VIII.  263 

child  was  not  of  sufficient  age  the  government  was  vested 
in  a  board  of  regents,  composed  of  both  Protestants  and 
CathoHcs.  In  this  selection  the  will  was  disregarded,  and 
selections  were  maide  by  Parliiament  as,  in  their  judgment, 
would  best  fill  the  requirements  for  the  harmiony  of  the  people. 

In  this  board  of  regents  the  Protestants  usurped  authority 
and  conducted  the  government  in  the  interest  of  their  party. 
They  overruled  the  advice  and  religious  desires  of  the  Cath- 
olic minority,  and  sought  by  every  means  in  their  power  to 
teach  Protestantism  wherever  possible.  The  young  king  was 
carefully  instructed  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Reformers,  and 
changes  were  made  in  the  creed  and  service  of  the  new  Church 
of  England. 

In  order  that  there  might  be  a  systematic  service  in  the 
teachings  of  this  form  of  worsliip,  Archbishop  Cranmer  pre- 
pared the  Catechism  of  the  English  Book  of  Common  Prayer, 
and  the  first  copy  was  issued  in  1549.  In  the  preparation  of 
this  Prayer-Book  the  Archbishop  called  together  a  commis- 
sion of  bishops  and  learned  theologians,  and  in  using  the  mis- 
sals and  breviaries  of  the  Catholic  Church,  to  some  extent 
quieted  the  convictions  and  sentiments  of  the  Catholic  people. 
While  it  was  designed  to  cunningly  deceive  and  to  cover  up 
the  real  principles  and  tenets  of  this  new  faith,  yet  to  the  ardent 
Catholic  there  was  plainly  written  the  full  object  desired,  and 
a  determined  resistance  was  made  manifest.  This  book  was 
a  translation  oi  the  old  Latin  service  books  witih  changes  suffi- 
cient to  conform  to  the  new  doctrine,  and  is  the  same  that  is 
in  use  to-day  by  the  Anglican  Church. 

In  1552,  forty-two  Articles  of  Religion  were  published  for 


264  Christian  Persecutions. 

a  full  o-overnment  of  faith  and  its  proper  observance.  These 
articles  were  finally  reduced  to  thirty-nine,  and  remain  to  the 
present  time  as  a  compendious  creed  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land. To  enforce  an  observance  of  these  sweeping  changes 
all  teachers  and  clergymen  were  compelled  to  subscribe  to 
these  articles  and  publicly  proclaim  this  new  faith.  A  refusal 
to  submit  to  these  royal  edicts  was  met  with  severe  punish- 
ment and  penalties  of  imprisoinment.  In  thfe  enactment  of 
"Acts  for  the  Uniformity  of  Sei-vice,"  a  stringent  law  was 
posted  and  a  long  line  of  punishments  declared. 

In  the  adoption  of  the  new  articles  of  worship  a  royal 
decree  was  instituted  by  which  the  Churches  were  despoiled 
of  their  emblems  of  faith.  All  pictures,  images,  and  crucifixes 
were  removed,  and  the  use  of  tapers,  incense,  and  holy  water 
forbidden.  The  veneration  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  the  invo- 
cation of  the  saints  were  prohibited,  while  Purgatory  was 
denounced  as  a  superstition,  and  prayers  for  the  dead  inter- 
dicted. Besides  these  denials  of  faith,  the  established  usage  of 
celibacy  of  the  priests  was  annulled,  the  real  or  bodily  presence 
of  Christ  in  the  bread  and  wine  of  the  sacrament  denied,  and 
that  the  service  of  the  Church  should  no  longer  be  said  in 
Latin,  but  in  the  language  of  the  people. 

Many  persons  were  imprisoned  for  a  disobedience  or  re- 
fusal to  conform  to  this  new  worship.  While  a  persecution  to 
death  was  not  a  penalty  for  infidelity  to  law,  yet  in  two  in- 
stances, at  least,  "heretics  and  contumners  of  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer"  were  burned.  Still,  it  can  be  said  of  the 
government  of  Edward  VI  that  persecutions  were  at  a  stand- 
still, as  only  those  who  most  desperately  declared  against  this 
new  innovation  were  punished. 


Heirs  of  Henry  VIII.  265 

Probably  no  quieter  or  more  determined  resistance  against 
the  adoption  of  the  faith  of  the  Church  of  England  could  be 
found  than  was  exhibited  by  Mary,  daughter  of  Catherine  of 
Aragon.  Repeated  attempts  were  made  to  entreat  her  to 
adopt  the  religion  of  her  fartilier,  Henry  VIII,  and  her  half 
brother,  Edward,  now  on  th?  throne.  She  was  warned  that 
the  toleration  of  Mass  even  in  her  own  private  chapel  could 
not  be  endured.  For  two  years  Emperor  Charks  V  labored 
in  vain  to  prevent  this  individual  persecution,  even  declaring 
he  would  wage  war  against  England.  Still  the  almost  inces- 
sant torment  of  threats  and  appeals  went  on. 

The  Protestant  Party  saw  the  failing  health  of  Edward, 
and  in  a  very  short  time,  according  to  the  will  of  Henry,  Mary 
must  become  the  reigning  queen.  To  pass  from  a  Protestant 
to  a  Catholic  government,  was  debated  with  great  alarm. 
Many  intrigues  and  plots  were  devised  to  circumvent  this 
more  than  possibility.  Edward  was  anxious  to  continue  his 
father's  religion,  and  with  his  own  hand  drew  a  proposed  law 
which  was  to  regulate  the  succession  to  his  throne.  After 
preparing  this  proposition,  he  summoned  his  judges  with  the 
attorney  and  solicitor-general,  and  laid  the  matter  before  them. 
They  hesitated  to  acknowledge  his  right  to  declare  succession, 
but  the  king  commanded  them  to  prepare  an  act  for  Parlia- 
ment. The  Duke  of  Northumberland  became  angry  and  pas- 
sionately declared  he  would  not  submit  to  this  usurping  of 
authority.  Even  Cranmer  was  at  first  opposed,  but  the  young 
king  became  so  earnest  in  his  declarations  to  maintain  his 
father's  religion  that  he  prevailed.  The  act  was  prepared,  and 
all  the  members  of  the  council  gave  it  their  approval,  and  the 
great  seal  was  placed  upon  it. 

(18) 


266  Christian  Persecutions. 

Again  were  attempts  made  to  induce  Mary  to  give  up  her 
determination  to  remain  faithful  to  the  Cathohc  Church.  The 
young  king  bewailed  himself  over  the  obstinacy  of  his  sister 
and  that  of  allowing  Mass  in  any  part  of  his  kingdom,  but 
Mary  remained  constant  and  determined  in  her  resolution. 
She  said:  "If  the  chaplain  cannot  say  Mass,  I  shall  not  hear 
it,  but  the  new  service  shall  not  be  established  in  my  house. 
Ii  it  is  introduced  there  by  force  I  shall  leave  the  place." 

Mary  continued  to  receive  her  priests,  and  without  ques- 
tion in  the  private  sanctity  of  her  own  chapel  she  continued 
to  hear  Mass,  angl  to  nourish  in  her  heart  an  enduring  love 
for  the  Catholic  faith.  While  Mary  was  never  seeking  to 
induce  others  to  accept  her  religion,  yet  others  were  con- 
stantly seeking  to  impress  upon  her  that  there  was  a  duty 
she  owed  England  and  her  father,  to  follow  in  the  adopted 
church  of  her  government.  To  this  she  would  never  consent. 
Her  love  was  her  duty,  and  her  future  power  should  be  to 
sustain  it. 

On  the  Gth  of  July,  1553,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  and  one-half 
years,  the  king  of  England,  Edward  VI,  died.  A  question 
now  arose  which  was  most  interesting  to  all  the  people  of 
England.  Would  the  reigning  sovereign  be  a  Protestant,  or 
would  it  revert  to  the  control  of  the  Catholics?  If,  according 
to  the  act  of  Parliament  under  Henry  VIII,  the  will  of  Henry 
is  recognized,  then  Mary  has  the  right  of  succession,  but  if 
under  the  sovereign  law  of  Edward,  then,  Lady  Jane  Grey 
would  become  queen  and  the  Protestant  Party  would  prevail. 
But  in  this  the  Protestants  were  doomed  to  disappointment, 
as  the  following  chapter  will  explain: 


Heirs  of  Henry  VIII.  267 

QUEEN  MARY. 

We  now  open  a  new  history  in  the  great  reformation  of 
England.  Henry  VIII  had  established  an  independent  reHg- 
ion.  He  had  severed  his  government,  both  spiritual  and  tem- 
poral, from  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  in  the  establishment  of 
the  Church  of  England  he  had  destroyed  the  last  existing  tie 
between  him  and  the  Pope.  He  had  been  excommunicated 
and  in  return  had  renounced  forever  his  allegiance  to  the  Holy 
See.  Edward  had  died,  and  in  the  line  of  his  own  succession 
Mary  was  the  rightful  heir  and  must  be  crowned  Queen  of 
England.  The  attempt  of  the  Duke  of  Northumberland  and 
others,  to  place  Lady  Jane  Grey  on  the  throne,  met  with  dis- 
favor from  Protestants  and  Catholics  alike,  and  in  the  reac- 
tion disaster  overtook  the  leaders  of  the  movement,  and  being 
convicted  of  treason  were  executed. 

For  the  benefit  of  history  it  is  l)ut  proper  to  state  that  Lady 
Jane  Grey  belonged  to  the  royal  family  of  Henry  VHI,  and  is 
explained  as  follows: 

Henry  VH,  King  of  England,  had  three  children,  Henry 
VIII,  Margaret,  and  Mary.  To  Henry  VHI  belonged  Ed- 
ward VI,  Mary,  and  Elizabeth;  to  Margaret,  Mary  Stuart, 
by  James  V  of  Scotland ;  and  to  Mary,  Lady  Jane  Grey,  by  the 
Duke  of  Suffolk. 

It  is,  therefore,  easy  to  see  that  through  the  illegal  mar- 
riages of  Henry  VHI,  that  both  lines  of  his  sisters,  Margaret 
and  Mary,  might  legally  succeed  to  the  throne. 

After  the  death  of  Edward  the  conspiracy  of  the  Duke  of 
Northumberland  was  put  into  immediate  efifect.  He  appeared 
before  Lady  Jane  Grey  and  informed  her  of  his  plans  and 


268  Christian   Persecutions. 

expectations.  He  said:  "Lady  Jane  Grey,  the  King,  your 
cousin  and  our  sovereign  lord,  has  surrendered  his  soul  to 
God,  but  before  his  death,  and  in  order  to  preserve  his  king- 
dom from  the  infection  of  Popery,  he  resolved  to  set  aside 
his  sisters,  Mary  and  Elizabeth,  declared  illegitimate  by  an  act 
of  Parliament,  and  he  has  commanded  us  to  proclaim  your 
Grace  as  queen  and  sovereign  to  succeed  him."  At  this 
moment  the  Lords  and  Council  knelt  before  her  and  swore 
fidelity  to  the  cause  of  Lady  Jane.  So  impressed  and  startled 
was  she  by  this  revelation  that  she  fell  to  the  floor,  but  on 
being  restored  to  consciousness  she  raised  her  head  with  mod- 
est confidence  and  said:  "If  the  right  is  mine,  I  hope  that  God 
will  give  me  strength  to  bear  the  scepter  for  his  glory  and  the 
happiness  of  the  people  of  England." 

She  was  immediately  conducted  to  the  Tower,  the  place 
where  sovereigns  usually  reside  before  their  coronation.  Criers 
were  sent  through  the  streets  prodaimingthe  death  of  Edward. 
They  also  proclaimed  the  act  of  Parliament  making  the  suc- 
cession of  Mary  and  Elizabeth  illegal  and  that  of  Lady  Jane 
Grey  the  rightful  claimant  to  the  throne,  and  as  such  she  was 
now  in  waiting  to  be  crowned  queen.  No  enthusiasm  was 
made  manifest  by  these  declarations.  The  people  did  not  wish 
to  change  the  line  of  succession  as  adopted,  and  they  whis- 
pered among  themselves  that  Mary  was  the  rightful  heir. 

In  the  country  the  people  became  intensely  interested,  and 
being  largely  Catholic  in  sentiment  were  determined  to  pro- 
tect Mary  in  her  demand  to  the  Council  for  recognition  of 
her  rights.  Mary  had  promised  to  change  none  of  the  laws 
instituted  by  Edward,  therefore  many  Protestants  were  earnest 


Heirs  of  Henry  VIII.  269 

in  their  declarations  of  fealty.  The  Earl  of  Pembroke  declared 
that,  "If  reasons  do  not  suffice,  this  sword  shall  make  Mary 
queen,  or  I  shall  die  in  her  cause."  Even  the  Duke  of  Suf- 
folk joined  in  his  profession  of  loyalty  to  Mary  and  basely 
deserted  his  own  daughter. 

The  streets  of  London  were  again  listening,  but  this  time 
to  the  declarations  of  those  who  stood  by  Mary  and  loudly 
applauded  her  rights  to  the  throne.  At  St.  Paul's  Cross, 
where  a  week  before  Bishop  Ridley  preached  in  favor  of 
Protestant  succession  they  now  cheered  the  apparent  triumphs 
of  the  Catholics.  Mary  was  everywhere  declared  the  sover- 
eign queen  of  England,  and  no  force  could  change  the  verdict. 

Lady  Jane  was  arrested  on  the  charge  of  treason  by  the 
usurping  of  power,  having  been  queen  ten  days,  and  was  im- 
prisoned. Tlie  Duke  of  Northumberland,  Sir  John  Gates,  and 
Sir  Thomas  Palmer,  the  leaders  of  this  high-treason,  were 
arrested,  tried,  and  executed.  Queen  Mary  was  repeatedly 
urged  to  rid  herself  of  Lady  Jane,  but  declined,  as  she  pitied 
the  little  usurper,  declaring  that  she  was  more  the  tool  of 
others  than  an  instrument  in  herself. 

The  Catholic  Party  was  now  triumphant.  Mary  was  an 
earnest  Christian,  and  sought  to  establish  worship  in  'all  the 
realm.  She  had  forgotten  her  promise  not  to  undo  the  laws 
of  Edward,  but  in  her  Catholic  zeal  she  could  see  only  the 
establishment  of  her  faith  and  worship.  The  Emperor  Charles 
V  was  her  constant  adviser,  and  recommended  prudence, 
leniency,  and  a  toleration  of  worship.  Severity  was  set 
aside  as  not  a  wise  policy  in  the  administration  of  religious 
affairs.     The  Emperor  counseled  moderation,   and  besought 


270  Christian  Persecutions. 

Mary  to  be  slow  in  demanding  radical  changes  in  the  wor- 
ship of  the  people.  But  the  fervent  convictions  of  Mary  could 
not  be  stifled.  She  said:  "God  protected  me  in  all  my  mis- 
fortunes, it  is  in  Him  that  I  confide.  I  will  not  testify  my 
gratitude  slowly  and  in  secret,  but  at  once  and  openly." 

Parliament  voted  that  the  nation  should  return  to  its  obedi- 
ence to  the  Papal  See,  and  in  testimony  of  their  sincerity  they 
fell  upon  their  knees  to  receive  the  hands  of  the  legate  sent 
from  Rome.  They  asked  for  absolution  from  the  sin  of  heresy 
and  schism,  and  in  the  gratitude  of  their  sincerity  they  repealed 
all  the  acts  of  Henry  and  Edward  relating  to  the  new  worship 
that  had  been  established.  Parliament  was  now  declared 
Catholic,  and  there  was  great  rejoicing  in  Rome.  The  per- 
secutions of  the  English  Church  were  at  an  end.  Mass  was 
established  in  all  the  churches  in  London,  the  people  were 
loud  in  their  declarations  of  loyalty,  and  even  Princess  Eliza- 
beth could  not  withstand  the  current  of  restoration  of  all 
things  Catholic,  and  in  humility,  and  in  obedience  to  her  con- 
science, renounced  the  practice  of  Protestant  worship  and 
returned  to  the  Cathohc  faith.  She  accompanied  her  sister  to 
Mass,  and  even  established  a  chapel  in  her  private  residence. 
Was  this  act  of  Elizabeth  one  of  deceit,  or  was  it  from  the 
sincerity  of  the  heart? 

Scarcely  a  month  had  elapsed  after  the  meeting  of  Parlia- 
ment before  the  religious  structure  of  Henry  and  Edward  had 
fallen  to  pieces,  and  although  they  refused  to  restore  the  con- 
fiscated  Church  lands,  which  were  now  in  the  hands  of  the 
lords  and  commoners,  yet  they  were  anxious  and  willing  to 
imdo  everything  not  in  conflict  with  the  restoration  of  these 


Heirs  of  Henry  VIII.  271 

vast  estates,  Mary,  to  prove  her  loyalty  to  the  Church  of 
Rome,  restored  a  great  part  of  the  property  still  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  crown,  and  refounded  many  of  the  ruined  monas- 
teries, abbeys,  schools  and  institutions  of  learning-. 

Parliament  set  aside  the  Prayer  Book;  abolished  the 
Church  service  in  the  language  of  the  people,  and  returned 
to  the  established  usage.  The  marriage  of  priests  was  pro- 
hibited; connnunion  discontinued,  and  where  bishops  had  mar- 
ried, or  still  remained  in  favor  of  the  Reform  doctrine,  they 
were  deprived  of  their  sees.  The  marriage  of  Henry  VHI 
with  Catherine  of  Aragon  was  declared  the  only  legal  mar- 
riage, thus  establishing  ,by  an  act  of  Parliament  that  Mary 
was  the  only  lawful  and  legal  heir  to  the  throne. 

The  queen  retained  the  title  of  the  Head  of  the  Church, 
not  so  much  for  its  honor  and  power,  as  for  continuing  the 
people  in  the  belief  that  it  was  not  too  severely  Catholic. 
Where  priests  refused  to  give  up  their  Protestant  faith  and 
who  refused  to  say  Mass  they  were  replaced.  A  mild  enforce- 
ment of  the  laws  against  heresy  was  being  executed,  and  the 
prisons  were  being  filled  with  those  who  were  refractory.  It 
was  the  beginning  of  a  new  religious  storm.  Mary  had  been 
raised  under  the  influences  of  persecution,  and  her  thoughts 
of  heresy  were  black  and  bitter.  To  deny  the  religion  of 
Christ  was  to  her  a  treason  more  dangerous  than  any  national 
crime. 

And  now,  from  the  standpoint  of  to-day,  let  tis  for  a  mo- 
ment consider  the  question  of  heresy  as  seen  and  believed 
by  the  people  of  those  times.  In  their  religious  fervor  Cath- 
olics  and   Protestants,   alike,   regarded   heresy   as   a   greater 


272  Christian  Persecutions. 

crime  than'  treason.  They  were  educated  in  the  behef  that  it 
was  an  unpardonable  sin,  a  dangerous  crime  against  Christ, 
against  the  Church,  and  against  the  government,  and  must 
be  suppressed.  They  were  taught  that  there  could  be  no 
toleration,  no  compromise,  and  no  pardon  except  pardon  by 
a  full  and  public  acknowledgment  of  the  sin  and  error.  Not 
only  did  these  people  regard  the  laws  against  heresy  as  neces- 
sary for  the  promotion  of  Christianity,  but  they  regarded  it 
as  an  absolute  duty  to  suppress  it,  and  any  neglect  by  those 
in  authority  was  to  imperil  their  hope  of  heaven  and  of  salva- 
tion. They  honestly  believed  their  own  souls  were  in  danger 
of  God's  wrath,  and  to  countenance  an  outspoken  heretic  was 
not  only  to  endanger  the  souls  of  other  men,  but  in  their 
belief  they  must  be  held  responsible  for  allowing  this  mon- 
strous treason. 

In  believing  this  is  it  any  wonder  that  Edward  sought  to 
establish  and  to  continue  his  father's  creed,  and  is  it  any  won- 
der that  Mary  should  with  equal  zeal  seek  to  subdue  the  heresy 
that  was  dividing  the  Church  of  Rome?  As  sovereign,  it 
became  her  duty  under  the  law  to  force  its  execution,  and 
while  she  did  not  exhibit  the  spirit  of  revenge,  yet  in  her  intol- 
eration  she  became  earnest  almost  to  fanaticism,  and  in  her 
persecutions  against  Protestants  she  did  what  she  believed 
was  her  duty  to  do. 

Again,  let  us  cover  these  wild  scenes  of  intoleration  with 
the  cloak  of  ignorance,  superstition,  and  zealous  duty.  They 
were  ignorant  of  any  means  of  stamping  out  the  teachings  of 
Atheism,  or  the  open  revolt  against  their  Christianity,  except 
by  force.     The  human  heart  had  not  been  nourished  in  the 


Heirs  of  Henry  VIII.  273 

cradle  of  compassion,  pity,  and  benevolence.  Theirs  was  the 
education  of  wars  and  conquests.  Christ's  love  and  com- 
passion was  seen  only  as  all  men  were  forced  to  bow  down  and 
worship  Him.  It  had  been  the  continuation  of  the  ages  of 
strength.  Nations  were  sustained  only  by  the  power  of  the 
sword,  and  in  the  warfare  of  men  it  was  the  establishment  of 
religion  that  enthused  them  to  action.  The  world  was  a 
vast  field  of  intoleration  and  persecution.  The  followers  of 
Mahomet  sought  to  crush  out  Ohristianiity  and  in  return 
Christianity  sought  to  establish  its  teachings  of  Qrrist  and  its 
mode  of  worship  in  all  the  countries  of  the  earth.  They  had 
not  arisen  to  the  plane  of  the  education  of  to-day.  To  them 
it  was  God's  displeasure  antl  the  abandonment  of  their  soul's 
salvation,  and  in  believing  this  they  could  not  consistently  do 
anything  less  than  to  labor  against  heresy  by  the  persecution 
of  force.  To  them  the  ax,  the  sword,  and  the  flame,  were  the 
weapons  of  a  wrathful  Heaven  to  exterminate,  and  to  remove 
from  God's  earth  the  poisonous  sting  and  venom  of  an  un- 
holy, vicious,  and  treasonable  heresy. 

A  new  measure  of  uneasiness  was  being  fomented  in  all 
England.  Mary  had  decided  to  marry  Philip,  Prince  of  Spain, 
and  son  of  Charles  V.  Protestations  against  this  alliance  were 
being  circulated,  and  even  Parliament  had  sent  an  address 
to  the  queen  to  abandon  this  proposed  marriage,  and  to  choose 
her  husband  from  her  own  realm.  These  protests  only  aroused 
her  obstinacy,  and  throwing  herself  upon  her  knees  before  the 
altar,  '-ailed  God  to  witness  her  pHghted  troth  to  Philip. 

Conspirators  were  secretly  ^.ieking  to  overthrow  the  queen. 
France  was  jealous  of  this  alliance,  and  urged  a  revolution  to 


274  Christian  Persecutions. 

stay  its  consummation.  Some  wished  to  enthrone  Ehzabeth, 
while  others  were  desirous  of  releasing  Lady  Jane  Grey  and 
again  proclaiming  her  Queen  of  England.  An  armed  opposi- 
tion was  raised  to  prevent  the  landing  of  Philip.  Sir  Peter 
Carew  had  rebelled  in  Devonshire,  and  Sir  Thomas  Wyat,  a 
Catholic,  was  raising  a  rebellion  in  Kent.  Wyat  had  conceived 
a  most  violent  horror  of  Spain,  and  was  supporting  the 
Princess  Elizabeth.  He  was  the  boldest  conspirator  in  all  the 
insurrection.  He  defeated  the  Duke  of  Norfolk  at  Rochester 
and  then  moved  upon  the  defenses  of  the  City  of  London, 
but  here  he  failed  to  produce  the  uprising  he  anticipated.  He 
was  defeated,  captured,  and  sent  to  the  Tower.  The  courage 
of  Mary  was  ceaseless  and  undaunted.  She  declared  she 
would  never  yield  to  a  traitor  like  Wyat,  and  would  die  in  the 
cause  she  had  espoused.  The  leniency  of  her  previous  con- 
duct was  changed  to  an  unrelenting  punishment.  Wyat  and 
many  of  his  followers  were  executed.  Mary  was  now  deter- 
mined to  rid  herself  of  the  possibility  of  the  power  of  Lady 
Jane  Grey,  and  consequently,  on  the  12th  of  February,  1554, 
she  was  executed. 

"She  died  in  the  faith  which  she  had  believed  from  child- 
hood, serene  and  grave,"  without  a  complaint  or  tear,  simply 
avowing  to  the  few  spectators  of  her  execution  that  she  de- 
served death  for  having  consented,  although  with  regret,  to 
serve  as  an  instrument  to  the  ambition  of  others.  She  im- 
plored the  mercy  of  God  and  delivered  herself  up  into  the 
hands  of  the  executioner,  moving  all  hearts  by  her  constancy 
and  meekness." 

So  srreat  was  the  excitement  that  even  Elizabeth  was  ar- 


Heirs  of  Henry  VIII.  275 

rested  and  imprisoned  in  the  Tower,  but  by  licr  earnest  declara- 
tion of  innocence  she  was  removed  to  Woodstock,  where  she 
remained  closely  watched  by  the  officers  of  Mary.  Execution 
followed  execution  until  it  seemed  as  though  all  were 'engaged 
in  this  revolt.  But  not  alone  was  it  confined  to  the  Protest- 
ants. The  name  Spaniard  was  hated  almost  to  desperation  by 
the  people  of  England,  and  even  Catholics  protested  and 
arose  in  revolt  against  the  union  of  English  blood  with  Spain. 
It  was  not  a  revolt  against  Mary  because  she  was  a  Catholic, 
but  because  of  the  horror  of  Spanish  affiliation.  And  in  re- 
turn these  executions  by  Mary  were  not  because  they  were 
Protestants  but  because  they  were  in  rebellion.  In  this  we 
have  no  right  to  accuse  Mary  of  any* fanatic  religious  zeal, 
but  only  the  right  of  government  to  subdue  an  insurrection. 
In  this  neither  Protestants  nor  Catholics  have  any  right  to 
complain.  It  was  but  the  chances  of  war.  Tliey  cast  their  lot 
against  Spain,  and  in  the  conflict  theirs  was  the  destiny  of 
defceat. 

On  the  28th  of  July,  155-1,  Mary  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Philip.  Parliament  was  suspicious  of  Spanish  influence  and 
took  precautions  against  it.  Cardinal  Pole  was  sent  by  the 
Pope  to  efTect  a  full  reconciliation  between  the  people  of  Eng- 
land and  the  Church  of  Rome,  By  a  petition  of  Parliament 
Pole  pronounced  this  reconciliation  by  absolution,  and  the 
works  of  Henry  VIII  and  Edward  VI  were  declared  void,  and 
the  efforts  of  Mary  to  return  to  the  Catholic  faith  were  accom- 
plished. 

The  year  1555  was  one  of  extreme  intolerance  in  the  pun- 
ishment of  heresy.   Prisons  were  filled  with  the  accused,  and  a 


276  Christian  Persecutions. 

court  commissioned  to  try  heretics  was  formed.  Condemna- 
tions and  executions  were  increasing  every  day.  Rogers, 
Hooper,  and  Ferrar  were  executed,  and  the  fanaticism  of 
Mary  and  Philip  urged  a  more  rapid  enforcement  of  the  laws. 
Cardinal  Pole  sought  in  vain  to  induce  Mary  to  listen  to  mod- 
eration. She  had  endured 'plots,  conspiracies,  and  persecu- 
tions, and  now  in  the  zeal  of  religious  fury  she  would  burn 
and  execute  those  who  oppose  her.  The  conscience  of  Mary 
was  pledged  to  restore  England  to  the  Roman  Catholic  faith, 
and  she  would  do  it,  by  force,  if  not  otherwise.  The  strength 
of  the  two  religions  was  about  equal,  and  the  task  she  had 
undertaken  grew  greater  and  greater.  Ridley,  Latimer,  and 
Cranmer  were  convicted  for  heresy.  Cranmer  was  called  to 
Rome,  while  Ridley  and  Latimer,  on  October  IG,  1555,  were 
burned  near  Baliol  College,  where  stands  a  monument  which 
commemor'ates  their  execution.  These  eminent  prelates  were 
fastened  back  to  back,  and  as  the  flames  encircled  them, 
Latimer,  with  superhuman  strength,  cried  aloud:  "Be  of  good 
comfort.  Master  Ridley,  and  play  the  man,  and  we  shall  this 
day  light  such  a  candle  by  God's  grace  in  England  as  I  trust 
shall  never  be  put  out." 

Cranmer  did  not  appear  in  Rome,  but  efforts  were  made 
to  induce  him  to  recant,  and  in  a  measure  these  efforts  were 
succesisful.  By  these  shameful  acts  of  recantation  he  believed 
he  was  purchasing  liberty.  He  had  condemned  his  religion, 
signed  in  rapid  succession  six  abjurations,  and  in  the  expecta- 
tion of  liberty  was  coolly  informed  that  his  repentance  only 
absolved  him  from  punishment  in  eternal  life,  but  not  the 
punishment  that  had  been  imposed  upon  him,  and  upon  the 


Heirs  of  Henry  VIII.  277 

21st  of  March  following  he  was  condemned  to  die.  Cranmer 
now  greatly  regretted  his  recantation,  for  he  had  not  re- 
deemed his  life  from  the  penalty  of  death,  but  had  instead 
perjured  his  word,  his  honor,  and  his  soul. 

As  an  example  of  his  deep  humility,  and  in  punishment  of 
liis  false  denunciation  of  his  faith,' he  thrust  the  hand  that  had 
signed  his  abjuration  into  the  raging  flames  as  he  approached 
the  stake  and  cried :  "This  hand  hath  offended."  He  protest- 
ed against  his  infidelity  to  the  Reform  faith  and  died  a  wiUing 
victim  of  heresy  and  persecution.  The  last  courage  of  Cran- 
mer won  for  him  the  forgiveness  of  his  followers  for  the  vacil- 
lations and  inconsistencies  of  his  life. 

In  quoting  from  Guizot's  history,  one  of  the  most  uncom- 
promising Protestant  historians,  and  an  escaped  Huguenot 
from  Paris,  we  find  that: 

"Eighty-four  persons  perished  that  year  by  the  flames,  nor 
did  the  living  only  suflfcr  condemnaltion ;  the  bones  of  Martin 
Eucer,  who  had  died  in  England,  whither  he  had  been  sum- 
moned by  Cranmer  during  the  reign  of  Edward  VI,  were  dis- 
interred and  publicly  burned.  The  body  of  the  wife  of  Pierce, 
the  martyr,  suffered  the  same  outrage;  her  grave  was  first 
desecrated,  and  she  was  afterwards  buried  in  a  dunghill.  The 
reign  of  Mary  lasted  only  five  years;  but  in  this  short  space  of 
time  two  hundred  and  eighty-eight  persons  were  legally  con- 
demned to  execution  on  account  of  religion,  and  it  would  be 
impossible  to  enumerate  the  obscurer  martyrs  who  died  of 
hunger  or  sufifering  in  the  prisons.  Most  of  the  victims  be- 
longed to  the  middle  class  and  to  the  people;  it  was  here  that 
was  manifested  the  most  faithful  attachment  to  the  doctrines 


278  Christian  Persecutions. 

of  the  Reformation.  The  great,  enriched  by  the  spohation  and 
g-overnmental  reform  of  Henry  VIII,  cared  only  to  retain 
their  possessions.  The  poor  defended  in  their  way  their  pre- 
cious faith  by  dying  for  it.  Secret  discontent  was  great  even 
among  the  Roman  Catholic  population;  the  Spaniards  were 
detested;  crimes  increased.  Notwithstanding  the  stern  repres- 
sion which  they  had  undergone  in  the  time  of  Henry  VIII — 
seventy-two  thousand  murderers,  thieves  or  vagabonds  had, 
it  is  said,  perished  upon  the  gallows  during  his  long  reign — 
the  executioners  of  Queen  Alary  had  also  much  to  do.  Re- 
peatedly men  of  good  family,  who  had  degraded  themselves 
to  the  condition  of  highwaymen,  were  detected  and  seized. 
Certain  parts  of  the  king'dom  remained  in  a  state  of  dull  dis- 
content; it  was  amid  this  general  uneasiness  that  Philip,  who 
had  become  king  of  Spain  in  1550,  upon  the  abdication  of 
the  Emperor  Charles  V,  at  length  succeeded  in  involving  his 
wife  and  England  in  his  quarrels  with  France." 

The  w^ar  with  France  was  unpopular.  For  once  the  people 
of  England  were  opposed  to  a  new  conflict.  In  the  struggle 
they  lost  every  foot  of  ground  they  possessed  in  France.  Calais 
was  captured  after  .being  in  their  possession  for  two  hundred 
and  eleven  years.  This  loss  was  bitterly  painful  to  the  queen 
and  her  people.  During  this  struggle  Mary  was  taken  ill,  and, 
on  the  17th  of  November,  155S,  at  the  age  of  forty-three,  she 
died.  She  sighed  so  bitterly  at  the  last  that  the  ladies  asked 
her  if  she  were  sufifering,  commiserating  her  for  the  absence 
of  King  Philip.  "Not  that  only,"  she  said,  "but  when  I  am 
dead  and  opened  you  sHiall  find  Calais  lying  in  my  heart." 

"The  following  morning,  at  nearlv  the  same  hour,  Cardinal 


Heirs  of  Henry  VIII.  279 

Pole  died  at  Lambeth.  The  two  pillars  of  the  Catholic 
Church  in  England  fell  at  the  same  time.  Pole  had  hoped  to 
insure  triumph  of  his  cause  by  gentleness  and  justice;  Mary 
had  supported  it  by  steel  and  fire.  Both  were  equally  sincere 
and  conscientious.  Mary  was  of  a  religious  mind;  her  char- 
acter, naturally  stern  and  determined,  had  been  embittered 
by  injusitice  and  suffering;  but  she  w^as  upright  and  honest, 
avoiding  the  subterfuges  and  deceits  which  Queen  Elizabeth 
too  often  practiced.  She  was  animated  by  a  fervent  faith, 
which  she  deemed  was  her  right  and  duty  to  impose  by  force 
upon  all  her  subjects.  The  sufferings  of  heretics  excited  little 
compassion  in  her  breast;  she  was  hardened  against  them,  but 
in  her  private  life,  and  towards  her  servants,  she  was  kind  and 
generous,  capable  of  affection  and  of  devotion.  She  blindly 
loved  her  husband,  who  neglected  and  despised  her  on  account 
oi  her  age,  and  the  few  charms  which  nature  had  bestowed 
upon  her.  Mary,  however,  was  learned;  she  spoke  pure 
Latin,  she  had  studied  Greek,  and  spoke  French,  Spanish  and 
Italian  with  case.  She  was  a  good  musician,  and  danced 
gracefully.  Her  household  was  a  model  of  order  and  regu- 
larity. The  queen  set  an  example  of  piety  and  virtue.  The 
memory  of  these  good  qualities  and  misfortunes  pales  in  the 
presence  of  a  supreme  fault:  a  terrible  stain  remains  imprinted 
upon  the  brow  of  the  unfortunate  queen  by  her  fanaticism  and 
her  conscientious  cruelty.  She  persecuted  piously;  she  burnt 
sincerely;  her  acts,  more  than  her  character,  merit  the  odious 
name  which  history  has  given  her.  On  examining  her  life 
closely,  one  is  tempted  to  pity  'Bloody  Mary.' " 

The  object  in  quoting  from  Guizot,  the  most  radical  Prot- 


280  Christian  Persecutions. 

estant  historian  known,  is  to  place  before  the  readers  of  this 
pubHcation  the  very  extreme  of  charges  made  ag-ainst  Queen 
Mary.  While  it  has  been  the  aim  of  the  author  to  put  aside 
prejudiced  ideas,  bigoted  statements,  and  misrepresented  his- 
tory, yet  in  this  case,  as  Protestan'ts  ded'are  the  reign  of  M'ary 
to  be  one  of  terrible  bloodshed  and  persecution,  to  give  their 
strongest  statements  and  then  ask  them  to  compare  the  acts 
of  Miary  with  those  of  her  sister  Elizabeth. 

As  previously  stated,  Mary's  reign  was  not  a  long  period  o.' 
sovereignty,  nor  did  she  come  into  possession  of  the  crown 
in  a  peaceable  manner.  A  conspiracy  was  conceived  by  the 
Protestant  party  in  order  to  prevent  the  government  from 
passing  into  Mary's  hands  because  she  was  a  Catholic,  and 
in  this  opposition  Lady  Jane  Grey  was  formally  announced  by 
the  conspirators  to  be  the  successor  to  Edward  VI,  and  was 
crowned  Queen  of  England,  thus  attempting  to  deprive  Mary 
of  her  rightful  inheritance. 

To  punish  this  act  of  treason  many  important  personages 
were  executed,  not  as  is  usually  charged,  because  they  were 
Protestants,  but  because  they  sought  to  usurp  a  power  not 
lawfully  theirs.  Here  is  a  marked  injustice,  and  I  must  ask, 
why  is  it  that  Protestants  are  continually  referring  to  Mary 
as  the  terrible  reign  of  Protestant  persecution,  when  for  three 
hundred  years  the  Catholics  of  Britain  and  Ireland  were  sub- 
jected to  almost  every  indignity  which  tyrannical  power  could 
devise?  Read  the  history  of  Ireland  from  the  establishment 
of  the  Church  of  England,  in  1534,  to  the  time  of  the  Catholic 
emancipation  in  1829,  when  on  April  13th,  a  bill  became  a 
law  whereby  Catholics  were  eligible  to  all  offices,  civil,  munic- 


Heirs  of  Henry  VIII.  281 

ipal,  and  military,  except  the  office  of  Reg^ent,  of  Lord  Chan- 
cellor, of  Viceroy  ol  Ireland,  and  the  Royal  Commissioner  of 
the  General  Assembly  of  Scotland.  Read  the  chapter,  "Irish 
Persecution,"  found  elsewhere  in  this  book.  Read  the  follow- 
ing history  of  Elizabeth,  and  then  if  you  can  draw  a  compari- 
son by  which  Mary  is  a  blacker  demon  than  those  who  have 
for  so  many- years  darkened  the  pages  of  English  histor)^  you 
can  do  that  which  has  never  yet  been  done. 

The  fact  is,  there  is  not,  nor  can  there  be,  any  reasonable 
comparison.  Mary  occupied  the  throne  during  a  stormy  per- 
iod of  revolt,  while  Elizabeth  persecuted  because  all  opposition 
to  the  Church  of  England  must  be  subdued  by  the  power  of 
force.  Her  hands  were  steeped  in  the  blood  of  Catholics, 
Puritans,  and  Anabaptists.  To  be  a  Catholic  was  to  be  an 
enemy  to  the  government,  to  the  Church,  and  to  Elizabeth, 
and  as  such  must  be  denied  the  freedom  of  worship,  or  if  in- 
fluential, expelled  from  tlir  country,  or  condemned  for  heresy 
and  executed. 

Why  have  these  cruelties,  these  persecutions,  these  intol- 
erations,  been  hidden  in  tlie  background,  or  glossed  over  with 
the  brush  of  injustice,  while  the  literature  of  the  whole  Prot- 
estant world  is  filled  with  the  acts  of  "Bloody  Mary"?  Is  it 
because  persecution  becomes  an  act  of  justice  when  Catholics 
are  the  victims?  Or  is  it  because  Catholics,  from  hundreds  of 
years  of  tyranny,  have  become  insensible  to  torture?  Is  it  be- 
cause one  form  of  Christianity  seeks  to  build  itself  upon  the 
fallen  fortunes  of  another? 

If  we  weigh  in  the  scales  of  impartial  justice  the  reigns  of 
these  two  sisters,  what  do  we  find?     What  is  this  comparison? 


282  Christian  Persecutions. 

If  Mary  was  unyielding  and  exacting  in  her  demands  for  the 
re-establishment  of  the  Cathohc  Church,  what  can  you  say  of 
Elizabeth,  who  knew  no  toleration,  no  purity  of  life,  and  no 
compassion?  For  a  moment  let  us  draw  a  few  of  the  many 
worthy  comparisons : 

Mary  reigned  only  five  years  and  four  months,  while  Eliza- 
beth's reign  was  forty-four  years  and  four  months,  a  period  al- 
most nine  times  longer  than  her  elder  sister.  The  victims  of 
Catholic  persecution  under  Elizabeth  outnumber  those  of 
Mary  in  proportion  as  was  the  time  she  wielded  the  power  of 
sovereign  greater  than  that  of  her  sister.  Therefore,  when  we 
lay  at  the  feet  of  Mary  the  record  of  one  suffering  Protestant, 
we  must  lay  at  the  feet  of  Elizabeth  nine  suffering  Catholics. 

The  historian,  Hallam,  asserts  that  "the  rack  seldom  stood 
idle  in  the  Tower  for  all  the  latter  part  of  Elizabeth's  reign." 

The  most  unpardonable  act  of  Mary's  life,  in  the  judgment 
of  her  critics,  was  the  execution  of  Lady  Jane  Grey,  and  yet 
this  lady,  at  the  time  of  her  execution,  declared  that  she  de- 
served death  for  being  the  tool  of  a  conspiracy  where  she 
usurped  the  throne  of  England,  which  she  occupied  for  nine 
days.  While  the  execution  of  Lady  Jane  has  been  much  de- 
plored, yet  it  was  but  the  execution  of  law  against  treason. 

In  contrast,  we  find  that  Elizabeth  put  to  death  her  cousin, 
Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  after  a  long  imprisonment,  on  a  charge 
of  aspiring  to  the  English  throne,  and  yet  this  charge  was 
not  sustained.  Thus  we  find  that  the  execution  of  Lady  Jane 
Grey  was  the  result  of  treason,  while  Elizabeth's  execution  of 
Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  was  a  cold-blooded  murder  of  a  de- 
fenseless woman  who  fled  to  her  for  protection. 


Heies  of  Henry  VIII.  283 

Mary's  zeal  was  exercised  in  behalf  of  the  religion  of  her 
forefathers,  which  had  been  the  recognized  and  loved  form  of 
worship  for  more  than  one  thousand  years.  Elizabeth's  zeal 
was  employed  in  extending  the  new  creed,  introduced  by  her 
faither  in  a  moment  of  passion,  and  modified  by  him.  Tlie  one 
had  been  in  existence  from  the  date  of  England's  conversion 
to  Christianity  a  thousand  years  previous,  and  had  ever  been 
cherished  in  the  hearts  of  the  people.  The  other  was  the  re- 
sult of  a  sinful  intercourse  and  the  refusal  of  the  Pope  of  Rome 
to  sanction  the  crime. 

While  Mary  sought  to  restore  the  time-honored  faith  and 
worship  of  the  Catholic  Church,  Elizabeth,  with  a  most  vio- 
lent and  unrelenting  rigor,  declared  that  no  Catholic  worship 
should  be  tolerated. 

Tlie  elder  sister  was  propagating  what  she  believed  was 
the  true  and  infallible  doctrine  of  Christ,  but  the  younger  sister 
was  propagating  her  own  religion,  and  that  of  her  father.  The 
one  had  been  tried  since  the  days  of  the  Apostle  Peter,  the 
other  was  that  which  Henry  VHI  had  instituted  when  he  re- 
belled from  the  Church  of  Rome. 

While  Mary  had  no  private  or  personal  motives  in  op- 
pressing Protestants,  Elizabeth's  hostility  to  the  Catholic 
Church  was  intensified,  if  not  instigated,  by  her  hatred  of  the 
Pope,  who  had  declared  her  illegitimate.  Her  legitimacv  be- 
fore the  world  depended  on  the  success  of  the  new  religion, 
which  had  legalized  her  father's  divorce  from  Catherine. 

Hence,  as  Macaulay  says:.  ','Mary  was  sincere  in  her  re-' 
ligion ;  Elizabeth  was  not.  Having  no  scruple  about  conform- 
ing to  the  Roman  Church  when  conformity  was  necessary  to 


284  Christian  Persecutions. 

her  own  safety,  retaining  to  the  last  moment  of  her  life  a  fond- 
ness for  much  of  the  doctrine  and  much  of  the  ceremonial  of 
that  Church,  she  yet  subjected  that  Church  to  a  persecution 
even  more  odious  than  the  persecution  with  which  her  sister 
had  harassed  the  Protestants.  Mary  did  nothing  for  her  re- 
ligion which  she  was  not  prepared  to  sufifer  for.  She  had  held 
it  firmly  under  persecution.  She  fully  believed  it  to  be  es- 
sential to  salvation.  Elizabeth,  in  opinion,  was  but  little  more 
than  half  a  Protestant.  She  had  professed,  when  it  suited  her, 
to  be  wholly  Catholic." 

Thus  we  find,  as  w^e  understand  the  controlling  motives  of 
Mary  and  Elizabeth,  that  their  actions  are  based  upon  diflfer- 
ent  principles  of  justice,  and  in  the  rendering  of  judgment  on 
them,  we  must  decide,  that  if  you  condemn  the  five  years  of 
Mary's  reign  you  must  also  condemn  the  forty-four  years  of 
Elizabeth's  persecutions. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

HEIRS  OF  HENRY  VHI— Continued. 

QUEEN  ELIZABETH. 

O  Y  the  death  of  Queen  Mary,  the  crown,  by  virtue  of  the 
^  succession  granted  to  Henry  VHI,  fell  to  Elizabeth,  the 
daughter  of  Anne  Boleyn.  Her  professions  of  faith  under  the 
reign  of  Mary  were  more  of  hypocrisy  than  ardent  truth,  as 
her  future  acts  will  prove.  In  her  pretense  of  renouncing  the 
Reform  worship  of  her  father  she  acted  from  policy.  Her 
social  relations  with  her  sister  Mary  were  cold  and  indiflferent. 
While  Mary  was  a  Catholic  almost  to  fanaticism,  and  would 
yield  to  no  opposition  to  establish  her  faith,  yet  Elizabeth  was 
cunning,  artful,  and  designing.  Not  naturally  hard  in  heart 
and  determined  in  persecution,  but  as  history  informs  us : 

"Along  with  her  good  and  queenly  qualities  and  accom- 
plishments, Elizabeth  had  many  unamiable  traits  and  unwom- 
anly ways.  She  was  capricious,  treacherous,  unscrupulous, 
ungrateful,  and  cruel.  She  seemed  almost  devoid  of  a  moral 
or  religious  sense.  Deception  and  falsehood  were  her  usual 
weapons  in  diplomacy." 

"In  the  profusion  and  recklessness  of  her  lies,"  declares 
Green,  "Ehzabeth  stood  without  a  peer  in  all  Christendom," 

Besides  the  practice  of  deceit  and  hypocrisy,  her  moral  life 
was  notoriously  corrupt.  She  toyed  with  the  Lords  and 
nobles  as   the   cat  plays  with   its   mouse.     Her   fascinating 

285 


286  Christian  Persecutions. 

charms  surrounded  her  with  the  corruption  of  court  and  the 
scandal  of  the  nation.  Her  designs  were  to  institute  favor, 
excite  passion,  and  to  hold  in  her  power  the  nobility  of  the 
kingdom.  In  contrast  to  Mary,  she  was  as  black  is  to  white. 
The  religious,  moral  and  conscientious  character  of  Mary  is  in 
marked  contrast  with  the  disgraceful,  corrupt  and  insincere 
motives  of  Elizabeth.  In  the  pursuit  of  pleasure,  ambition,  or 
power,  she  was  active  and  determined.  She  was  quick  to  de- 
vise ways  and  means  to  accomplish  her  purposes,  and  although 
Protestant  in  faith,  yet  in  the  dissembling  character  of  her 
nature,  it  is  a  question  if  she  even  thought  of  God  in  her  heart. 

Her  title  to  the  crown  was  denied  by  every  true  Catholic 
in  England,  because  she  was  the  child  of  Anne  Boleyn,  that 
marriage  which  the  Pope  had  forbidden  under  pain  of  the 
anatliemas  of  the  Church.  Therefore  she  had  little  to  expect 
from  the  CathoHcs,  and  very  naturally  looked  to  the  Protest- 
ant Party  for  sympathy  and  loyalty.  With  this  questioii  raised 
against  her  lawful  heirship,  it  is  easily  seen  that  her  prejudices 
must  largely  work  in  favor  of  the  Reform  Church,  and  al- 
though Catholics  were  in  hopes  she  would  continue  the  work 
of  Mary,  yet  they  were  disappointed,  when,  like  Mary,  who 
undid  the  work  of  Henry  VIII  and  Edward  VI,  she  undid  the 
work  of  Mary.  It  was  a  game  of  tit  for  tat.  Mary  had  re- 
stored the  Catholic  worship,  and  now  Elizabeth  would  over- 
throw it  and  restore  the  Church  of  England. 

Elizabeth  was  strong  in  character,  courageous,  and  deter- 
mined. She  possessed  admirable  judgment,  was  far-seeing, 
and  in  politics  sustained  a  wonderful  tact.  By  these  qualities 
her  government  became  one  of  the  strongest,  and  most  il- 


Heirs  of  Henry  VIII.  287 

lustrious  in  the  history  of  England's  sovereigns.  She  raised 
the  nation  from  a  position  of  insignificance  to  one  of  the  most 
active  among  the  States  of  Europe.  One  of  the  secrets  of  her 
strength  was  by  her  selection  of  strong,  earnest  men  for  her 
advisers.  She  gathered  around  her  Council  board  the  wisest 
and  most  eminent  men  of  her  empire.  In  the  selection  of  Sir 
William  Cecil  (Lord  Burleigh)  she  found  a  man  of  extensive 
knowledge,  a  man  of  great  sagacity,  and  of  ceaseless  industry. 
To  him,  more  than  to  any  other  person,  is  largely  due  the 
success  of  her  administration.  This  man  stood  at  the  head  of 
the  Queen's  Council  for  more  than  forty  years. 

The  first  act  of  Elizabeth  was  to  dissolve  the  two  religious 
houses  established  by  Alary,  and  to  elect  a  new  Parliament,  by 
which  two  new  Acts  were  established — the  Act  of  Supremacy, 
and  the  Act  of  Uniformity — which  relaid  the  foundation  of 
the  Anglican  Church.  By  this  Act  of  Supremacy  all  the 
clergy,  and  every  person  holding  office,  were  required  to  take 
an  oath  of  allegiance  declaring  the  Queen  to  be  the  supreme 
authority  in  all  things  spiritual  as  well  as  temporal,  and  at  the 
same  time  renouncing  the  authority  or  jurisdiction  of  any  for- 
eign prince  or  prelate.  For  refusing  to  take  this  oath  many 
Catholics  were  persecuted,  imprisoned,  and  even  suffered 
death.  While  Elizabeth  did  not  resort  to  the  conscientious 
persecution  of  Mary,  yet  her  reign  is  filled  with  the  history  of 
crime  and  bloodshed. 

The  Act  of  Uniformity  forbade  clergymen  from  using  any 
but  the  Anglican  liturgy.  It  also  required  every  person  to  at- 
tend the  Established  Church  on  Sundays  and  other  holy  days. 
For  a  violation  of  this  act,  each  absence  recorded  a  fine  of  one 


288  Christian  Persecutions. 

shilling.  The  persecution  which  arose  under  this  law  caused 
many  Catholics  to  seek  freedom  of  worship  in  other  countries. 
The  Catholics  were  not  alone  in  their  disobedience  of  this  Act. 
There  were  Protestant  Non-Conformists,  called  Puritans,  and 
Separaitisits.  These  organizations  were  stronger  in  the  re- 
forms of  the  Church  and  believed  that  the  Anglican  was  only 
half -reformed.  The  Puritans  were  more  the  followers  of  John 
Calvin  and  his  doctrine,  while  the  Separatists  were  even  more 
rigid  in  discipline  than  the  Puritans.  They  flung  away  every 
semblance  of  Roman  worship,  and  severed  all  connections 
with  the  Established  Church.  Under  this  Act  they  were  per- 
secuted and  forced  to  leave  England.  Many  went  to  Holland, 
where,  in  after  years,  they  became  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  of  the 
New  World. 

The  forms  of  persecution  were  small  and  inconsiderate  in 
many  instances,  but  annoying  and  aggravating.  Spies  were 
sent  to  question  into  the  private  life  of  Catholics,  and  those  not 
in  proclaimed  sympathy  with  the  movements  of  Elizabeth.  It 
was  a  low,  disgusting  scrutiny  of  the  private  lives  of  the  peo- 
ple. No  one  was  secure  in  his  home  conversation,  or  his  pri- 
vate worship.  A  secret  system  of  detective  work  was  going 
on  everywhere,  and  while  its  results  were  not  often  a  sacrifice 
of  life,  yet  in  its  persecution  the  people  were  harassed  in  mind 
and  conscience,  not  knowing  what  charge  might  arise  and  the 
verdict  of  imprisonment  would  be  their  lot. 

As  an  instance  of  this  determined  persecution  we  find  re- 
corded that,  as  early  as  in  1561,  Sir  Edward  Waldegrave  and 
his  wife  were  sent  to  the  Tower  for  having  received  and  enter- 
tained a   Catholic  priest    at    their    home.     A    Puritan    was 


Heirs  of  Henry  VIII.  289 

scourged  for  having  said  in  his  private  family  that  lie  would 
never  recognize  the  Church  of  England.  This  evidence  was 
obtained  by  listening  at  the  keyhole.  A  petition  signed  by 
bishops  imploring  Elizabeth  to  follow  the  example  of  her  sis- 
ter Mary  was  received  with  indignation  and  the  petitioners 
sent  to  prison.  Offers  of  position  and  rich  estates  were  made 
to  those  imprisoned  bishops,  and  many  were  thus  converted 
to  the  Reform  faith.  Bonner  refused  to  yield  and  died  in 
prison.  The  monasteries  that  were  restored  by  Mary  were 
now  closed  and  their  valuable  possessions  again  confiscated. 
The  whole  effort  of  Elizabeth  was  to  restore  the  work  of 
Cranmer  and  Edward  VI.  Elizabeth  was  losing  the  quiet 
insincere  life  of  her  past  retirement,  and  was  yielding  to  the 
demands  and  public  opinions  of  the  Protestant  Party. 

Political  motives  were  now  being  considered  by  EHzabcth. 
France  and  Spain  were  united  by  the  marriage  of  Philip  II  to 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Henry  H.  Scotland  was  in  a  ferment 
of  religious  revolution,  and  their  young  queen,  Mary  Stuart, 
was  an  ardent  Catholic.  From  the  standpoint  of  the  illegality 
of  Henry  VHFs  marriage  with  Anne  Boleyn,  Mary  Stuart, 
being  the  daughter  of  James  V  of  Scotland,  by  right  of 
birth,  according  to  all  Catholics,  who  denied  the  validity  of 
the  marriage  of  Anne  Boleyn  with  Henrv  VIII,  was  the  next 
in  direct  succession  to  the  crown  of  England,  after  Mary 
Tudor.  Politically,  the  three  countries — France,  Spain,  and 
Scotland — were  to  form  an  alliance  and  overthrow  Elizabeth 
and  her  English  government,  and  in  the  overthrow  Mary 
Stuart  would  become  heir  to  the  throne.  So  strong  became 
the  apparent  motives  of  this  alliance  that  Elizabeth  declared 


290  Christian  Persecutions. 

she  would  take  a  liusband,  and  as  she  describes:  "I  will  take 
a  husband  who  shall  cause  the  head  of  the  King  of  France  to 
ache;  he  does  not  know  what  a  rebuff  I  intend  to  give  him." 

Advances  were  immediately  made  to  the  Earl  of  Arran, 
the  heir-presumptive  to  the  throne  of  Scotland  after  the  Stu- 
arts. The  Earl  had  become  an  ardent  Protestant  and  this 
union  would  strengthen  the  bonds  of  government,  but  Eliza- 
beth was  too  fickle  in  mind  to  form  either  a  political  or  matri- 
monial alliance,  and  although  repeatedly  solicited  by  Parlia- 
ment to  take  a  husband,  yet  she  could  never  settle  her  mind 
on  which  would  be  the 'most  available  in  all  the  long  line  of 
royal  candidates. 

As  she  was  handsome,  brilliant  in  diplomacy,  and  witty  and 
fascinating  in  court,  she  was  greatly  admired,  and  her  strengtli 
of  will  and  purpose  did  much  to  hold  the  confidence  of  Europe 
and  the  love  and  esteem  of  her  people.  In  matters  of  religion 
she  was  extremely  Protestant,  and  her  persecutions  of  Catho- 
lics were  cruel  and  inhuman.  Her  greatest  fear  was,  that  in 
the  succession  to  the  throne  of  England,  the  government 
might  again  fall  into  the  hands  of  her  religious  enemies.  She 
feared  Mary  Stuart,  because  she  was  a  Catholic,  and  because 
she  was  next  in  the  line  of  succession.  The  twenty  years'  im- 
prisonment was  not  that  Mary  had  committed  a  crime,  but 
that  she  might,  through  her  Catholic  influence,  establish  a 
revolt  against  the  PrdtestJant  Reformation,  overthrow  the 
religious  government  of  England  and  Scotland  and  restore 
the  Catholic  faith.  It  was  this,  fear  that  sustained  Elizabeth 
in  her  persecutions,  and  made  her  despotic  and  tyrannical. 
So  great  was  her  fear  that  her  suspicions  often  governed  her 


Heirs  of  Henry  VIII.  291 

inconsistencies,  and  in  a  number  of  instances  she  caused  to  be 
executed  some  of  her  most  trusted  advisers. 

She  reahzed  that  her  birth  was  not  a  clear  title  to  the 
throne  of  England;  that  from  a  point  of  morality  it  was  base 
and  ignoble,  while  from  the  law  of  the  Catholic  Church  it 
was  declared  illegal  and  void.  Twice  did  the  Pope  issue  an 
edict  of  excommunication  and  declared  her  subjects  no  longer 
legally  bound  to  her  will.  Knowing  these  conditions  we  can- 
not wonder  at  her  deep  solicitude  for  her  own  safety,  as  well 
as  that  of  her  chosen  religion. 

In  a  short  review  we  have  this  history  of  England  as  it 
afifectcd  the  Catholic  and  Protestant  religions  of  that  empire: 

1st.  Henry  VHI,  from  motives  of  revenge,  and  to  estab- 
lish the  legitimacy  of  his  own  licentious  passions,  overthrew 
the  Catholic  Church,  and  in  the  strength  of  might  established 
a  new  line  of  nobility  and  a  new  doctrine  of  worship.  He 
confiscated  the  property  of  the  Church,  robbed  monasteries, 
and  denied  the  free  worship  of  Goil. 

2d.  Edward  VI,  the  son  of  Jane  Seymour,  continued  the 
persecution,  established  a  ritual  creed  in  the  faith  of  his  father, 
and  commanded  a  religious  observance  of  it.  He  also  estab- 
lished the  English  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  and  the  forty-two 
articles  of  faith  tlFat  became  the  standard  of  doctrine  of  the 
English  Church.  Edward  died  at  the  age  of  fifteen  and  one 
half  years. 

3d.  Mary,  the  daughter  of  Catherine  of  Aragon,  the  only 
lawful  marriage  of  Henry  VIII.  She  became  known  in  Prot- 
estant history  as  "Bloody  Mary."  Being  an  ardent  Catholic, 
she  overturned  the  religious  governments  of  Henry  and  Ed- 


292  Christian  Persecutions. 

ward,  re-established  tlie  monasteries,  restored  estates,  ana 
throug-h  a  series  of  zealous  determinations,  built  up  the  Cath- 
olic faith.  Under  her  reign  the  whole  structure  of  faith  was 
Catholic.  Even  Parliament  was  anxious  to  vote  that  the  na- 
tion should  return  to  the  obedience  of  the  Papal  See,  and  in 
their  anxiety  to  seek  absolution  fell  upon  their  knees  in  the 
presence  of  the  legate  of  the  Pope.  M'ary's  was  a  reign  of  an 
established  Catholic  power. 

4th.  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Anne  Boleyn,  was  the  next  in 
succession,  and  from  the  Catholic  law  could  not  be  a  lawful 
child  of  marriage.  Under  this  reign  Elizabeth  exercised  a 
more  bitter  and  inconsistent  persecution  than  we  find  in  Mary, 
but  being  Protestant  her  efforts  were  directed  against  the 
Catholic  Church  and  those  in  opposition  to  her.  By  her  the 
English  Church  was  firmly  established,  never  again  to  be 
overthrown.  While  Protestant  teachings  exclaim  with  horror 
over  the  persecutions  of  Mary,  yet  in  her  sister,  Elizabeth,  we 
find  the  same  fanatic  zeal  to  overturn  and  persecute  the  fol- 
lowers of  Mary  and  her  established  religion. 

5th.  By  a  conspiracy  of  Protestant  followers  and  to  prevent 
Catholic  Mary  from  taking  the  throne.  Lady  Jane  Grey  was 
announced  the  lawful  sovereign  of  England,  and  for  nine  days 
sire  was  declared  by  the  insurrection  Queen  of  England,  but 
the  line  of  succession  as  established  by  Henry  VIII  could  not 
be  broken  and  she  was  arrested  as  a  usurper,  tried  for  treason 
and  in  after  years  was  executed. 

6th.  Mary  Stuart,  Queen  of  Scots  was,  from  the  declaration 
of  Catholic  authority,  the  lawful  heir  to  the  throne  of  England, 
but  as  she  was  Catholic,  under  the  trumped-up  charge  of  being 


Heirs  of  Henry  VIII.  293 

accessory  to  the  murder  of  her  husband,  was  forced  to  abdi- 
cate in  favor  of  her  infant  son,  James  VI,  of  Scotland.  Mary 
fled  to  England  and  asked  for  protection  of  her  cousin  Eliza- 
beth, who  fearing-  her  legal  line  of  ancestry  and  her  Catih'oHc 
following,  cast  her  into  prison,  where  she  remained  for  twenty 
years  and  was  then  executed. 

7th.  We  now  arrive  at  the  sovereign  reign  of  King  James 
I,  known  in  history  as  James  VI  of  Scotland,  son  of  Mary 
Stuart. 

MARY  STUART,  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 

Much  of  the  history  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  reign  is  so  closely 
connected  with  Mary  Stuart,  that  to  write  one  is  to  write  both, 
and  by  the  Catholic  legality  of  birth  Mary  stood  as  a  rival  to 
the  throne  of  England. 

Scotland  was  virtually  in  the  hands  of  the  Protestant  Re- 
formers, known  as  the  followers  of  John  Calvin,  or  Presbyteri- 
ans, and  while  Mary  sought  to  sustain  her  Catholic  faith,  yet 
the  Protestant  doctrine  was  growing  stronger  and  stronger, 
and  in  force  was  the  controlling  religion  of  the  kingdom. 

The  Scottish  Queen  married  Lord  Darnley,  an  ardent 
Catholic,  against  the  loud  protestations  of  the  Protestant 
preachers  and  other  reformers.  Mary  was  earnestly  peti- 
tioned to  renounce  everything  Catholic  and  unite  herself  with 
the  Protestant  faith.  Plot  after  plot  was  instituted  to  over- 
throw this  new  Catholic  influence,  and  as  Darnley  was  weak 
in  affection,  vulgar,  unmannerly,  dissolute  and  violent  at 
times,  he  soon  lost  the  love  and  esteem  of  Mary,  and  in  its 
place  grew  aversion  and  contempt.     Darnley  realized  that  his. 


294  Christian  Persecutions. 

uncouth  brutality  had  deeply  wounded  the  sensitive  nature  of 
his  wife  and  sought,  during  his  drunken  revelries,  to  devise 
means  of  allaying  the  scorn  of  the  court  for  his  unmannerly 
.conduct.  He  knew  his  disgrace  and  must  seek  some  means 
cf  redeeming  his  faults.  To  do  this  there  must  be  some  ex- 
cuse invented,  some  attack  to  produce  a  suspicion,  a  court  talk 
that  Darnley  had  grievances,  that  he  was  wronged,  that  there 
were  excuses,  and  after  all  the  pure,  sweet  Mary  may  not  be 
exactly  what  she  seemed.  In  this  study  D'amley  seized  upon 
one  Rizzio,  an  Italian  musician,  and  court  favorite.  The  Ital- 
ian was  handsome,  graceful,  and  a  musician.  Darnley  grew 
jeatous  of  hfs  accomplishments  and  even  basely  taunted  his 
wife  of  infidelity.  The  proud  spirit  of  Mary  turned  away  in 
disgust  from  these  low  insinuations  of  her  depraved  husband. 
She  had  borne  his  vulgar,  drunken  orgies  with  loathing  and 
shame,  but  now  a  reflection  was  cast  upon  her  honor,  and  slie 
felt  it  too  humiliating  to  even  respond  to  these  heart  thrusts  of 
a  wicked  and  sensuous  husband. 

Darnley  communicated  his  pretended  grievances  to  his 
friends,  and  a  bold  scheme  of  assassmaition  was  declared  as 
tlie  only  means  of  ridding  the  court  of  his  presence.  "  Rizzio 
was  indeed  a  court  favorite,  and  being  an  Italian,  willing  hands 
were  waiting  to  avenge  the  honor  of  one  who  had  no  honor. 
At  the  head  of  this  conspiracy  sitood  Lord  Ruthven  and  Lord 
Morton,  chancellor  of  the  kingdom.  Besides  this  conspiracy, 
there  was  another  motive  that  induced  these  prominent  Lords 
to  plot  against  the  life  of  Rizzio  and  the  character  of  Mary. 
They  sought  to  recall  the  Earl  of  Murray  and  other  exiled 
Lords,  and  by  threats  of  persecution  their  plot  would  be  suc- 
cessful. 


Heirs  of  Henry  VIII.  295 

The  time  selected  for  this  assassination  was  while  the 
Queen  and  her  ladies  were  at  supper  and  Rizzio  was  in  the 
room.  Darnley  would  have  his  wife  see  the  consummation 
of  this  plotted  villainy,  and  thus  produce  fear  and  consterna- 
tion, Darnley  entered  the  dining-room,  followed  by  Ruthven 
and  others.  Ruthven  ordered  Rizzio  to  leave  the  apartment, 
and  an  angry  altercation  followed  in  which  Mary  defended 
Rizzio  in  this  unjust  demand.  Darnley  seized  the  hands  of  his 
wife,  and  in  the  melee  the  table  was  overturned  and  Rizzio 
stabbed  with  a  dagger.  Morton  guarded  the  doors  of  the 
palace  with  a  troop  of  armed  men,  thus  cutting  off  any  assist- 
ance which  might  come  to  the  support  of  the  Queen. 

If  we  follow  this  conspiracy,  we  will  find  that  the  Earl  of 
Bothwell  and  Lord  Huntley  came  to  the  assistance  of  Mary 
with  an  armed  force  of  eighteen  thousand  men,  and  that  Mor- 
ton and  Ruthven  fled.  Soon  after  this  event  Mary  gave  birth 
to  a  son,  who  was  to  become  James  VI  of  Scotland,  and  James 
I  of  England.  The  coldness  between  Mary  and  Darnley  in- 
creased. The  brutality  of  Darnley  might  be  overlooked,  but 
being  an  accomplice  in  crime  and  the  defamer  of  his  wife's 
character,  was  too  black  to  be  trusted,  or  to  be  forgiven.  But 
the  end  was  soon  to  come.  The  house  in  which  Darnley  was 
spending  the  night  was  blown  up  and  he  was  killed.  Sus- 
picion immediately  rested  upon  Bothwell,  and  he  was  arrested, 
tried  for  murder,  but  acquitted.  Bothwell  was  known  to  be 
desperately  enamored  with  Mary,  and  court  talk  assumed 
phases  not  complimentary  to  him  or  to  her.  So  great  was  his 
infatuation  that  Mary's  personal  friends  warned  her  against 
him,  and  even- wrote  to  her  saying:  "Bothwell  will  kill  you; 
retire  before  he  comes  within  this  place." 


296  Christian  Persecutions. 

Bothwell  had  sought  powerful  alHes  among  the  members 
of  ParHament,  and  at  a  banquet  of  all  the  principal  members, 
protested  his  innocence  of  the  murder  of  Darnley,  and  then 
announced  his  intention  of  marrying  Mary.  Whether  from 
fear  or  otherwise,  Bothwell  obtained  their  signatures  recom- 
mending this  union,  and  they  also  undertook  to  use  their  in- 
fluence in  his  behalf.  It  had  been  Bothwell's  scheme  to  force 
a  union  with  Mary,  and  to  accomplish  this  he  had  obtained  a 
separation  from  his  wife.  Darnley  was  dead,  and  current 
opinion  was  that  he  was  the  means  of  his  death. 

Four  days  from  the  time  Bothwell  secured  the  signatures 
of  the  principal  members  of  Parliament  he  intercepted  Mary 
while  she  was  returning  from  Stirling,  and  with  his  powerful 
escort  forced  her  to  accompany  him  to  Dunbar  Castle,  where 
he  held  her  captive  for  five  days.  At  the  moment  of  her  cap- 
ture Bothwell  exclaimed  that  he  would  marry  the  Queen, 
"who  would  or  who  would  not;  yea,  whether  she  would  herself 
or  not."  His  determination  was  now  fixed.  He  had  sur- 
mounted the  difificulties  that  lay  between  them,  and  now  she 
was  his  prisoner.  What  promise  he  received  from  her  was 
never  revealed,  but  upon  her  release  she  appeared  before  the 
sessions  court,  and  there  declared  before  the  chancellor  that 
notwithstanding  the  outrages  which  he  had  made  her  suffer, 
she  was  disposed  to  pardon  him  and  to  raise  him  to  still 
greater  honors,  and  in  this  unexplained  mysterious  influence 
Bothwell  had  obtained  control  over  Mary's  mind  and  on  the 
15th  of  May  they  were  united  in  marriage.  Thus  had  the 
murderer  obtained  the  object  of  his  crime. 

Open  revolt  was  now  precipitated  and  Bothwell  was  pub- 


Heirs  of  Henry  VIII.  297 

licly  declared  the  murderer  of  Darnley.  So  strong  was  this 
declaration  of  murder  that  the  Lords  demanded  an  abdication 
of  the  throne  in  favor  of  the  little  prince.  At  first  Mary  re- 
fused to  sign,  but  when  Lord  Lindsay  grasped  her  arm  and 
cried:  "Sign,  if  you  do  not  wish  to  die  as  your  husband's 
murderer,"  she  took  the  pen  and  without  looking  at  the  paper 
signed  the  document,  and  on  the  20th  of  June  tlie  little  prince 
was  crowned  James  VI,  and  on  the  22d  of  August  the  Earl  of 
Murray  was  elected  regent.  These  acts  of  Mary  have  been 
used  as  weapons  of  calumnies  against  her  character  as  a  true, 
virtuous,  and  honorable  woman.  If  we  consider  from  one 
point  alone,  there  may  be  reasons  for  suspicion,  but  when  we 
know  the  historic  facts  of  Darnley's  dissolute  and  villainous 
diaracter;  when  we  know  that  Bothwell,  by  force  or  other- 
wise, compelled  this  marriage,  we  can  only  pity  Mary  Stuart 
for  submitting  to  this  unholy  union.  Mary  was  Queen  only 
in  name.  Her  kingdom  was  in  Protestant  revolt.  Parlia- 
ment and  the  nobility  were  against  her.  Every  force  was 
brought  to  induce  her  to  renounce  her  religion  and  accept  the 
Presbyterian  faith.  Tlie  demand  of  Lord  Lindsay  to  abdicate 
was  the  demand  of  power  against  the  weak.  The  threat  hor- 
rified Mary,  and  without  even  looking  at  the  document  she 
signed  it.  But  why  was  this  demand  made?  Why  were 
threats  made  to  imperil  her  life?  Why  was  this  reaction  when 
Parliament,  as  individual  members,  had  signed  a  request  for 
this  union?  There  can  be  but  one  answer.  By  her  abdication 
the  child  prince  became  king  of  Scotland,  and  a  Protestant 
Regent  is  appointed  to  reign  instead.  To  cover  these  acts  of 
treachery  there  must  be  some  further  persecution  to  continue 

(20) 


298  Christian  Persecutions. 

this  semblance  of  crime.  Mary  had  abdicated,  Lord  Murray 
was  elected  regent,  and  the  whole  political  system  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  Reformers.  Efforts  must  be  made  to  hold  the 
people  in  excitement  and  to  disgr>ace  the  sovereign  power,  and 
under  the  crime  of  Bothwell  they  would  continue  the  persecu- 
tion of  Mary. 

In  December  Mary  Stuart  was  arrested  for  the  .murder  of 
Darnley  and  cast  into  prison,  but  escaped  and  raised  a  body 
of  troops,  declared  her  abdication  void  because  of  force  and 
threats  and  proceeded  to  regain  her  throne  by  force.  She  was 
defeated  and  escaped  into  England,  where  sihe  sought  the 
mercy  of  Elizabeth  and  beseeched  her  to  assist  in  restoring  her 
throne.  Agents  of  Elizabeth  everywhere  demanded  that  Mary 
should  be  held  in  prison  and  not  allowed  to  foment  new  trou- 
bles. Sir  Henry  Morris  wrote  from  Paris:  "Her  Majesty  now 
holds  the  wolf  that  would  destroy  her.  It  is  said  that  there  is 
a  conspiracy  between  the  King  of  France,  the  King  of  Spain, 
and  the  Pope  to  ruin  her  Majesty,  and  to  put  the  Queen  of 
Scotland  in  her  place."  Elizabeth  began  to  believe  in  the 
crime  of  Mary,  and  if  the  crime  is  proven  she  must  suffer  the 
penalty.  But  the  die  was  cast.  With  Mary  restored  to  the 
throne  of  Scotland,  Elizabeth  would  always  be  in  danger. 
Mary  in  prison  was  a  greater  security  to  the  aspirations  of 
Elizabeth  than  Mary  at  will.  Repeatedly  she  had  requested 
Mary  to  relinquish  the  crown  and  live  a  peaceful  life  as  a  re- 
tired subject,  but  in  vain.  She  positively  declined,  and  de- 
clared she  would  rather  suffer  death  than  surrender  her  claims. 

Plots  and  counterplots  were  being  formed.  Spanish  armies 
had  made  designs  upon  invasion,  and  the  people  were  becom- 


Heirs  of  Henry  VIII.  299 

ing  alarmed  and  suspicious  of  different  Lords  and  nobles. 
The  Duke  of  Norfolk,  the  staunch  defender  of  Elizabeth,  was 
declared  in  treason  and  conspiracy,  and  was  executed.  Tlie 
Earl  of  Northumberland  was  also  condemned  to  death  and  all 
Protestant  England  was  crying  for  the  execution  of  Mary 
Stuart  as  the  only  means  of  preserving  the  peace  of  the  coun- 
try. Mary  was  a  Catholic,  and  while  she  lived  there  would  be 
only  dissension,  insurrection,  and  bloodshed.  The  bishops  ad- 
vised her  execution,  as  she  was  the  "origin  and  source  of  all 
evil." 

Tlie  massacre  of  the  Protestant  Pluguenots  in  France  on 
St.  Bartholomew's  Day  only  incensed  the  English  Reformers 
to  a  greater  excitement,  and  greater  demands  upon  Elizabeth 
to  continue  her  persecutions  against  Mary  and  all  opposition. 
New  attempts  were  made  to  rescue  her,  but  she  was  removed 
from  prison  to  prison,  and  each  day  more  closely  confined,  and 
each  day  treated  with  less  respect  and  consideration.  Her  ap- 
peals to  her  son,  now  king  of  Scotland,  received  but  little  at- 
tention. Mary  saw  her  days  were  numbered  and  in  the 
sincerity  of  her  Catholic  faith  she  exclaimed:  "There  are  two 
things,  sir,  whicli  you  cannot  take  from  me — the  royal  blood 
that  gives  me  fhe  right  to  the  succession,  and  the  aittachment 
that  unites  me  to  the  faith  of  my  ancestors."  Amid  all  the 
stormy  periods  of  her  life  she  had  been  a  devout  Catholic, 
and  in  the  purification  of  imprisonment  and  long  suffering 
she  was  to  die  a  Catholic,  and  in  her  death  we  see  her  rival, 
Elizabeth,  responsible  for  the  odious  stain  of  execution. 

Mary  Stuart  was  tried  for  conspiracy  against  Elizabeth,  or, 
in  other  words,  treason  against  the  throne  of  England.     On 


300  Christian  Persecutions. 

the  14th  of  October,  1586,  she  was  confronted  with  commis- 
sioners and  judges,  who  were  surrounded  with  assistants,  ta- 
bles, and  documents,  but  to  Mary  there  was  granted  nothing, 
yet  for  two  days  she  held  in  check  the  ablest  lawyers  of  Eng- 
land, but  without  friends,  or  testimony,  and  with  perjured 
witnesses,  who  gave  their  evidence  in  secret,  there  was  no 
chance  to  escape.  The  verdict  for  years  had  been  established 
by  her  enemies,  and  now,  through  the  formality  of  law,  it 
would  be  executed.  As  a  condemned  criminal,  Mary  Stuart, 
Queen  of  Scots,  was  now  deprived  of  all  the  honor  due  her 
station,  and  in  defense  of  her  royal  dignity  she  exclaimed:  "I 
am  an  anointed  Queen.  In  spite  of  the  Queen  of  England, 
her  Council,  and  her  heretical  Judges,  I  will  die  a  Queen." 

Numerous  attempts  were  made  to  stay  the  sentence,  but 
of  no  avail.  Her  own  son,  James  VI,  was  solicited  to  inter- 
cede, but  his  coldness  Avas  a  scandal  unto  himself.  He  ap- 
peared to  have  no  feeling,  no  pity,  and  no  honorable  manhood. 
Sir  Robert  Melville  accompanied  an  ambassy  sent  to  labor 
with  Elizabeth,  and  in  his  conversation  asked:  "Why  does  the 
Queen  of  Scots  seem  so  dangerous  to  you?"  Elizabeth  re- 
sponded: "Because  she  is  a  Papist,  and  they  say  she  shall  suc- 
ceed to  my  throne." 

The  hour  of  execution  was  near  at  hand.  The  Earl  of 
Shrewsbury  had  arrived,  and  as  the  sentence  was  being  read, 
Mary  made  the  sign  of  the  cross  and  quietly  said,  that  after 
twenty  years  of  imprisonment  she  did  not  expect  this  from  her 
cousin  Elizabeth,  but — and  she  placed  her  hand  upon  a  Bible 
near  her,  and  swore  that  she  never  contemplated  harm  to  Eliz- 
abeth.    Tlie  Earl  of  Kent  brutally  responded  that,  as  it  was 


Heirs  of  Henry  VIII.  301 

a  Pope's  Bible,  her  oath  was  of  no  value.  With  flashing  eyes 
Mary  said:  "It  is  a  Catholic  testament,  and,  therefore,  my 
Lord,  as  I  believe  it  to  be  the  true  version,  my  oath  is  the 
more  to  be  relied  upon."  "Your  death  will  be  the  life  of  our 
religion,"  said  Kent,  "as,  contrariwise,  your  life  would  have 
been  its  death." 

The  condemned  Queen  spent  the  night  in  the  company  of 
her  servants  and  in  prayer.  She  bade  them  farewell,  and  as 
the  sheriff  arrived  she  arose  from  her  devotions,  took  the 
crucifix  from  the  altar  and  without  faltering>  followed  the 
officer  from  the  room.  At  the  door  she  found  her  faithful 
servanit,  Melville,  who  fell  upon  his  knees  weeping  and  sob- 
bing. "Cease  to  lament,  good  Melville,"  said  the  Queen,  "for 
thou  sh'alt  now  see  a  final  period  to  Mary  Stuart's  troubles; 
the  world,  my  servant,  is  all  but  vanity,  and  subject  to  more 
sorrow  than  an  ocean  of  tears  can  wash  away.  But  I  pray  thee, 
take  this  message  when  thou  gocst,  that  I  die  true  to  my  re- 
ligion, to  Scotland,  and  to  France.  Commend  me  to  my  son, 
and  tell  him  that  I  have  done  nothing  to  prejudice  the  king- 
dom of  Scotland." 

She  asked  that  her  servants  might  accompany  her  to  her 
execution,  but  the  overbearing  Kent  refused.  "I  know  my 
cousin  Elizabeth  would  not  have  denied  me  so  small  a  matter, 
that  my  women  might  be  present  even  for  honor  of  woman- 
hood," she  said.  At  the  last  moment  she  cried:  "I  am  fixed 
in  the  ancient  religion,  and,  by  God's  grace,  I  will  shed  my 
blood  for  it."  She  prayed  for  the  Church,  her  son,  and  Eliza- 
beth,and  as  she  kissed  the  crucifix  the  Earl  of  Kent  exclaimed: 
"Madam,  you  would  better  put  such  Poperish  trumpery  out  of 


302  Christian  Persecutions. 

your  hand  and  carry  Christ  in  your  heart."  In  reply  Mary 
modestly  said:  "I  can  hardly  bear  this  emblem  in  my  hand 
without  at  the  same  time  bearing  Him  in  my  heart."  The  ax  . 
fell,  and  her  spirit  took  its  flight  to  her  God.  Thus  closed  the 
life  of  Mary  Stuart,  Queen  of  Scots.  Her  chief  persecution  in 
life  was  because  she  was  a  Catholic,  and  even  in  death  the  un- 
relenting and  unforgiving  persecution  followed  her.  As  her 
bleeding  head  was  raised  from  the  block  these  words  were 
uttered:  "God  save  Queen  Elizabeth."  "Thus  perish  all  her 
enemies."  Fitting  words  to  express  the  cruelty,  the  crimes, 
and  the  persecutions  of  her  enemies.  She  had  lived  a  life  of 
fidelity  to  Christ,  to  humanity,  and  to  Christian  faith.  The 
twenty  years'  imprisonment  only  served  to  establish  her  re- 
ligion more  firmly  in  her  mind  and  conscience.  She  realized 
the  source  of  her  troubles,  and  in  the  fervency  of  Christian  for- 
titude she  forgave  her  enemies,  knowing  that  it  was  the  perse- 
cution of  Christ's  love  she  bore  in  her  heart. 

Again,  let  us  refer  to  the  hypocrisy  and  deceit  of  Elizabeth. 
She  had  given  the  order  for  the  execution  of  Mary  Stuart,  and 
yet  she  feigned  great  anger  and  compassion  when  informed 
of  her  death.  She  ordered  the  arresit  of  several  ministers  and 
caused  their  disgrace.  Davidson  was  sent  to  the  Tower, 
where  he  remained  until  his  death,  a  victim  of  deceit.  His 
fortune  was  confiscated  to  pay  the  fine  imposed  upon  him. 
Even  Burleigh  was  accused  of  conspiring  against  Mary,  the 
whole  being  an  assumed  pretense  of  placing  the  crime  from 
ofi  her  own  shoulders. 

King  James  was  also  deeply  incensed,  and  swore  he  would 
move  heaven  and  earth  for  vengeance,  but  when  Elizabeth 


Heirs  of  Henry  VIII.  303 

added  to  his  pension,  and  the  throne  of  England  came  so 
much  nearer  in  the  Hne  of  succession,  he  forgot  his  mother 
and  his  wrath.  His  consolation  was  individual  benefits  and 
aspirations.  The  words  of  Mary  were  now  answered:  "Coult/ 
an  only  son  forget  his  mother," 

Let  us  return  for  a  moment  to  the  closing  scenes  of  Eliza' 
beth.  She  had  rendered  assistance  to  the  Huguenots  of 
France,  and  the  Protestant  rebellion  of  the  Netherlands.  The 
Spanish  invasion  had  been  defeated  by  the  destruction  of  her 
"Invincible  Armada."  Her  vessels  had  traversed  the  globe, 
made  important  expeditions  to  the  New  World,  and  for  a  gen- 
eration acted  more  the  part  of  piracies  than  those  of  a  peaceful 
trade.  The  crippling  of  the  naval  pnDwer  of  Spain  left  England 
mistress  of  the  seas.  New  life  was  infused  in  her  daring  ex- 
ploits. The  old  Norse  blood  burned  with  feverish  impatience 
for  adventure  and  glory. 

It  was  a  reign  of  universal  triumphs.  She  had  overcoine 
her  enemies,  thwarted  plots  for  her  destruction,  combined  the 
cunning  of  policy  with  her  apparent  ardent  love  for  her  people. 
She  had  governed  England  despotically,  but  with  such  skill- 
fulness  that  she  was  enabled  to  turn  the  dangerous  corners 
when  necessity  required  it,  but  always  the  patron  and  pro- 
tector of  the  Protestant  Reformation,  But,  as  brilliant  as  were 
her  achievements,  yet  her  glory  was  tarnished  and  sullied  by 
feminine  follies  and  evil  passions,  while  obstinately  refusing  to 
accept  the  duities  and  legitimate  happiness  of  a  woman's  life. 
Brave,  proud,  far-sighted,  and  persevering,  she  displayed 
much  intellectual  ability,  and  certain  fine  moral  qualities,  but 
rarely  or  never  the  tender  and  modest  virtues  which  inspire 


304  Christian  Persecutions. 

and  retain  private  affection.  And  yet  for  many  years  she  was 
able  to  inspire  sentiments  of  another  nature.  When  she  died, 
the  evils  and  dangers  inherent  in  absolute  power  had  done 
their  work;  the  English  nation  was  beginning  to  grow  weary 
of  the  rule  of  its  great  Queen,  and  to  dream  of  political  and  re- 
ligious liberties  which  had  no  place  in  the  mind  or  in  the  heart 
of  Elizaibeth  Tudor. 

The  closing  days  of  EHzabeth's  reign  were,  to  her  person- 
ally, dark  and  gloomy.  As  she  looked  back  over  her  long 
life  of  public  ambitions,  cares,  and  responsibilities,  she  saw  the 
gaunt  specter  of  persecutions  rise  up  before  her.  She  saw 
the  patient,  uncomplaining  Mary  Stuart,  her  own  cousm,  con- 
fined for  twenty  years  in  a  prison.  She  saw  her  headless  form 
wildly  beseeching  for  mercy,  and  then  praying  for  the  forgive- 
ness of  those  who  were  persecuting  her.  She  saw  the  Earl 
of  Essex,  her  chief  favorite,  sent  to  the  block,  and  in  her  secret 
grief  she  saw  her  pride  only  the  stepping  stone  to  the  misery 
of  others.  She  saw  her  shameful  life  at  court  without  even  the 
semiblance  of  reward.  She  saw  her  past,  only  as  an  empty  vis- 
ion, a  barren  oak,  and  a  soul  without  reward.  And  while  she 
had  been  the  instrument  of  national  success,  yet  there  were  no 
heart  pleasures  to  gladden  her  declining  years. 

In  the  loneliness  of  family  ties  she  was  a  fit  subject  for  pity 
and  compassion.  Her  persecutions  were  not  from  a  love  o^ 
faith  and  devotion,  but  from  the  determination  to  raise  her 
name  from  the  ignomy  of  a  denied  birth.  She  knew  that  her 
father  and  mother  were  denied  by  the  Church  of  Rome,  and 
she  would  raise  her  voice  and  hand  against  it.  She  was  one  of 
the  bitterest  enemies  of  the  Church  and  ever  sought  to  over 


Heirs  of  Henry  VIII.  805 

throw  it.     Slie  lived  in  the  rigor  of  intoleration,  and  ended  her 
days  with  the  burden  of  a  secret  grief. 

She  died  March  2Ith,  1G03,  in  the  seventieth  year  of  her 
age,  and  the  forty-fifth  year  of  her  reign.  With  her  ended  the 
Tudor  hue  of  EngHsh  sovereigns. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

miSH  PERSECUTION. 

/^F  all  the  different  races  of  men  none  have  endured  the 
^-^  hardships  of  persecution,  the  domineering  influences  of 
oppression,  and  the  absolute  tyranny  of  government  so 
meekly  as  have  the  Irish  people  of  Ireland.  So  great  has  been 
this  disfranchisement,  this  disregard  of  human  rights,  that 
Irish  oppression  has  for  centuries  been  synonymous  with  all 
that  represented  injustice,  intolerance,  and  religious  and  gov- 
ernmental abuse.  No  nation  in  all  Christendom  has  the 
record  of  so  much  meek  submission  to  injustice,  has  shown 
so  much  forbearance,  and  has  borne  so  much  uncomplaining 
misery,  humiliation,  and  degradation.  As  we  read  their  his- 
tory in  the  light  of  our  present  civilization  we  can  only  won- 
der how  these  people  could  have  maintained  their  individual- 
ity, their  national  character,  and  their  firm  adherence  to 
Christianity.  But  if  we  go  back  to  the  remote  records  we 
shall  find  what  some  of  the  causes  are  which  govern  this  pas- 
sive and  apparent  indifference  to  trials  and  persecutions. 

The  first  important  date  in  the  history  of  Ireland  is  432, 
when  St.  Patrick  came  as  an  apostle  of  Christianity  to  teach 
the  people  the  true  worship  of  God.  At  that  time  the  religion 
of  the  people  was  Pagan  to  an  extreme — not  of  the  same 
mythical  character  as  that  practiced  by  the  Roman  Emperors, 
but  one  based  more  upon  the  legerdemain  of  magicians  and 
those    educated    to   perform   apparent   miracles   through   the 

306 


Irish  Persecution.  307 

witchcraft  then  in  vogue.  These  teachers  were  divided  into 
three  classes  and  governed  the  affairs  of  rehgion  and  morahty 
with  absolute  authority.  They  also  formulated  the  basis  of 
the  law,  and  exercised  its  judicial  functions.  These  teachers 
were  classified  as:  the  bards,  the  vates,  and  Druids  proper,  or 
priests.  They  were  not  a  hereditary  caste,  by  which  power, 
position,  or  influence  could  be  transmitted,  but  their  system 
partook  of  the  nature  of  a  competition  in  which  all  could 
enter.  As  these  positions  ensured  privileges,  such  as  exemp- 
tion from  taxation  and  from  service  in  the  army,  they  were 
eagerly  sought  by  the  youth  of  the  country.  The  exactions 
of  learning,  however,  were  so  great  that  only  the  few  suc- 
ceeded in  acquiring  the  necessary  knowledge.  To  become 
perfect  and  properly  qualified  to  become  a  teacher  a  course 
of  training  was  indispensable,  which  often  required  twenty 
years.  All  instruction  was  imparted  orally,  although  they 
had  a  written  language.  So  great  was  their  memory  that 
when  once  a  subject  was  mastered  it  was  never  forgotten. 
They  entered  into  the  minutest  details,  and  sought  to  explain 
the  phenomena  of  nature,  the  existence  of  life,  and  the  power 
of  mind  over  matter.  Their  favorite  studies  were  astrology, 
geography,  physical  science,  and  natural  theology.  Besides 
these,  they  were  wonderfully  developed  in  botany,  astronomy, 
medicine,  and  letters.  In  mechanics,  and  skill  of  construc- 
tion, they  were  superior  to  any  people  existing  at  that  time. 
The  megalithic  remains  of  that  era  even  now  testify  to  their 
ability  as  workers  of  beautiful  designs  in  stone  and  other 
material.  Examples  of  their  stone-work  are  found  in  various 
parts  of  France  and  Briton,  furnishing  us  evidence  that  these 


308  Christian  Persecutions. 

people  once  flourished  in  the  greater  part  of  Southeastern 
Europe.  Stone  circles  in  their  buildings  were  emblems  of  a 
Supreme  Being,  and  the  serpent  that  of  the  Divine  Son. 

Their  belief  was  a  peculiar  combination  of  Paganism  and 
Christianity.  In  Christianity  they  believed  in  a  Supreme 
Being  and  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul.  The  people  believed 
that  their  priests  were  in  league  with  the  demons  of  paganism, 
and  were  able  by  this  agency  to  do  g-ood  to  their  friends  and 
mischief  to  their  enemies.  Tlie  priests  were  held  in  awe  and 
veneration,  for  whomsoever  should  offend  one  of  these  pious 
representatives  of  God,  might  be  punished  as  the  offended 
one  willed.  In  sorcery  they  were  adepts,  having  been  edu- 
cated to  practice  this  art,  and  while  to  the  people  their  accom- 
plishments seemed  to  be  the  mysterious  workings  of  a  super- 
natural power,  yet  to  themselves  it  was  only  the  power  of 
study  and  practice.  These  professed  jugglers  may  be  classed 
with  the  eminent  magicians  of  our  day.  They  practiced 
charms  to  an  almost  miraculous  degree.  The  most  noted 
and  most  powerful  charm  was  a  snake's  egg  which  was  sup- 
posed to  be  produced  in  a  mysterious  manner.  With  this 
charm  the  belief  of  the  mind  became  an  almost  possessed 
reality.  By  its  influence  they  supposed  they  could  see  beyond 
the  confines  of  their  own  presence,  and  by  mesmerism,  the 
power  of  mind  over  mind,  they  could  read  the  thoughts  of 
others.  While-  there  was  nothing  peculiarly,  mysterious  or 
supernatural  in  their  science  of  investigating  the  power  of 
mind,  or  the  power  of  deception,  yet  these  gifts,  the  result  of 
studied  education,  produced  a  strong  belief  in  the  super- 
stitions of  the  age. 


Irish  Persecution.  309 

Their  philosophy  was  identical  with  that  of  Pythagoras, 
the  great  central  figure  of  the  Eastern  Gnostic  religion,  and 
the  question  arises,  was  this  Pythagorian  exposition  of  Chris- 
tianity taught  to  the  Druids  by  some  means  not  recorded  in 
history?  or  was  it  invented  by  them  and  taught  to  the  Eastern 
Gnostics?  But  be  that  as  it  may,  these  two  systems  of  wor- 
ship were  opposed  to  Christianity,  and  from  their  similarity 
must,  have  originated  from  the  same  source.  Besides  this,  the 
Druids  believed  in  the  transmigration  of  souls;  that  the  soul, 
if  not  fully  prepared  to  become  a  perfect  spirit,  must  continue 
its  mission  on  earth  through  other  bodies  and  other  forms  of 
earthly  experience,  until  at  last  it  was  prepared  by  its  line  of 
progression  to  come  into  the  realm  of  eternal  rest.  Their 
greatest  veneration  was  for  the  forest,  God's  deep  solitude, 
where,  with  all  the  solemnity  of  their  weird  incantations,  they 
practiced  their  rites — merely  studied  deception — and,  under 
the  protecting  obscurity  of  the  forest  gloom,  their  acts  seemed 
to  the  multitude  like  the  workings  of  a  supernatural  power. 
During  the  seasons  of  presentation  they  were  clad  in  white, 
wearing  gold  ornaments,  and,  with  other  features  of  awe-in- 
spiring import,  they  sustained  their  mysterious  superstitions 
which  so  largely  controlled  their  people.  They  also  believed 
that  the  higher  the  form  of  sacrifice  the  greater  the  atonement 
of  sin,  and  in  proportion  to  thoir  ability  to  render  sacrifices  so 
would  they  be  forgiven  and  rise  in  the  scale  of  the  soul's  pro- 
gression. So  zealous  did  they  often  become  that  they  even 
sacrificed  human  life  in  oflfering  up  their  devotions  to  Deity. 

When  speaking  of  the  Druids  in  the  continuation  of  this 
discussion,  for  brevity's  sake,  we  refer  to  them  as  represent- 


310  Christian  Persecutions. 

ing  the  whole  people,  and  not  as  merely  designating  the  indi- 
vidual priests  that  controlled  them.  We  have  given  this  de- 
scriptive history  of  them  for  the  purpose  of  explaining  the  real 
ancestry  of  the  Irish  race,  which  ance'stry,  in  point  of  intelli- 
gence, in  skill,  in  enterprise,  in  honesty  of  purpose,  and,  above 
all,  in  absolute  submission  to  the  conditions  under  which  they 
existed,  was  superior  to  any  other  nation  of  Europe.  While 
the  religion  of  the  Irish  ancestry  was  a  species  of  Pagan 
idolatry,  yet  they  can  point  with  pride  to  the  wonderful  devel- 
opment of  the  mind  in  all  the  phases  of  learning,  of  industry, 
and  attainments.  We  can  see  that  this  early  submission  to  an 
established  order  of  things  was  the  groundwork  of  their  future 
resistance  of  persecution  and  oppression.  With  the  Druids  it 
was  absolute  submission  to  law,  faith,  and  morality,  and  when 
converted  to  Christianity,  they  still  retained  this  wonderful 
characteristic,  as  is  shown  by  their  resistance  against  religious 
oppression,  which  marks  the  life  of  the  Irish  nation.  Other 
nations  have  yielded  to  the  demands  of  intolerance,  of  reforma- 
tion, and  of  persecution,  but  these  people  have  never  yielded 
their  submission  beyond,  perhaps,  an  outward  semblance  of 
obedience.  In  their  hearts  they  worshiped  according  to  the 
dictates  of  conscience.  While  it  is  true  in  many  cases,  to 
avoid  the  cruelties  of  unjust  intolerance,  they  denied  their 
faith,  sanctioned  the  oppression,  and  even  assisted  in  the 
establishment  of  an  opposition,  yet  at  the  same  time  they 
prayed  in  their  hearts  for  forgiv^eness  in  thus  practicing  false- 
hood and  deceit.  And  to-day,  as  we  see  the  Irish  people  of 
the  whole  world,  we  find  that  where  they  have  recovered  from 
the  cruelties  of  tyranny,  where  they  have  had  opportunities 


Irish  Persecution.  311 

of  developmeinit,  the  same  wonderful  expansion  of  intellect 
has  taken  place  that  characterized  the  ancient  Dniids.  While 
for  centuries  this  intelligence  lay  dormant  in  the  prison  of 
debasement,  yet  as  soon  as  the  cloud  of  oppression  has  passed, 
we  see  the  germ  of  past  brilliancy  spring  to  the  surface,  dis- 
playing, in  all  its  splendor,  the  strength  of  character  main- 
tairned  in  all  the  fields  of  life.  It  is  a  proverbial  saying  that 
quick  inspirations  of  thought  and  action  to-day  are  more  spon- 
taneous among  the  Irish  than  any  other  race.  In  them  in- 
tellectuality lies  latent,  because  of  centuries  of  forced  silence 
and  forced  persecution,  but  when  once  given  the  stimulus  of 
schooling,  the  inherent  principles  of  these  slumbering  Druids 
come  to  the  surface  and  speak  volumes  for  the  real  worth 
wITich  lies  at  the  base  of  the  Irish  nation. 

In  the  conversion  of  Ireland  to  Christianity  St.  Patrick  met 
with  serious  difficulties  in  explaining  to  the  people  the  error 
of  their  worship,  and  in  directing  them  into  the  light  of  the 
true  faith.  With  unremitting  zeal  he  traversed  the  country 
from  one  end  to  the  other,  establishing  monasteries  and  in- 
augurating monastic  life,  and  providing  for  the  education  of 
an  able  and  efficient  clergy.  In  the  furtherance  of  this  cause 
he  won  the  confidence  and  assistance  of  the  noblest  families, 
and  through  his  system  of  education  was  enabled  to  meet  the 
Druids  on  an  equal  basis  in  the  exposition  of  his  doctrine  of 
divine  worship.  His  converts  were  made  neither  by  force  nor 
persecution,  but  by  the  promotion  of  knowledge,  of  argument, 
and  illustrations.  As  the  Druidical  religion  lacked  charity 
and  love,  St.  Patrick  taught  the  wisdom  of  God  through  these 
cardinal  virtues. 


P  THE* 


312  Christian  Persecutions. 

St.  Patrick  lived  to  a  great  age,  and  although  he  encoun- 
lered  many  hardships,  yet  he  never  allowed  himself  the  pleas- 
ure of  visiting  his  native  country.  He  liad  chosen  this  mission 
because  of  his  great  desire  to  disclose  the  truths  of  God  to 
these  people,  and  he  remained  faithful  to  his  religious  duty 
until  the  end.  He  saw  their  aptness  to  comprehend  the  power 
of  Christianity,  and  their  ability  to  spread  the  ligtht  to  other 
lands.  In  this  he  was  not  disappointed.  His  institutions  of 
learning  became  the  promoters  of  religious  science,  which  was 
to  bless  and  enlighten  many  nations  who  were  at  that  time  in 
the  darkness  of  paganism. 

As  a  tribute  to  St.  Patrick  we  find  the  following  historic 
record: 

"Muchtertach,  the  chief  king,  who  reigned  from  513  to 
533,  openly  professed  Christianity,  and  multitudes  of  men  of 
all  classes  and  of  every  age  forsook  the  world  to  follow  Christ. 
The  face  of  the  whole  island  was  changed.  A  nation  which 
but  a  few  short  years  before  had  been  shrouded  in  the  darkness 
of  paganism  was  suddenly  illuminated  by  the  pure  rays  of 
divine  truth.  Erin  became  the  island  of  saints,  the  home  and 
refuge  of  learning  and  of  holiness,  and  the  nursery  from 
whence  missionaries  went  forth  to  carry  the  light  of  faith  to 
the  nations  of  the  European  continent.  Her  children  pre- 
served the  faith  of  Christ  as  pure  and  entire  as  it  came  from 
the  lips  of  her  apostle;  heresy  and  schism  were  unknown  to 
them,  and  loyalty  to  the  successor  of  St.  Peter  was  one  of 
their  most  distinctive  characteristics." 

Such  historic  facts  must  stir  the  pride  of  every  true  Cath- 
olic, for  nowhere  in  the  history  of  Christianity  has  the  faith 


Irish  Persecution.  313 

spread  with  such  perfect  peace  and  understanding  as  in  Ire- 
land. There  were  no  discussions,  no  persecution,  no  blood- 
shed. The  pure  spirit  of  St.  Patrick  seemed  to  inspire  all,  from 
hamlet  to  city,  and  from  palace  to  cottage,  until  the  gospel 
had  spread  from  one  end  of  th^  island  to  the  other.  It  was 
the  grandest  conversion  in  all  Christendom.  It  was  the  con- 
version of  a  whole  nation,  which  to  this  day  has  maintained 
an  abiding  faith  in  the  Church  of  Rome. 

Well  may  the  Irish  race  venerate  St.  Patrick,  for  of  all 
Saints  wlio  have  labored  in  the  cause  of  Christianity  none  can 
excel  his  record  in  the  conversion  of  a  whole  nation,  and  in 
the  establishment  of  a  system  of  learning  by  which  agency 
tlie  benign  influence  of  the  gospel  was  spread  to  other  coun- 
tries. While  St.  Patrick  did  not  accomplish  this  wonderful 
achievement  single-handed,  yet  he  laid  the  foundation  upon 
which,  in  later  years,  was  built  the  grand  structure  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  into  which  was  gathered  the  harvest  of  converted 
souls. 

As  it  is  not  our  purpose  to  give  the  political  history  of 
Ireland,  we  will  only  sketch  some  of  the  principal  events  while 
hurrying  forward  to  the  time  of  the  religious  persecutions  of 
Henry  VIII,  Edward  VI,  Elizabeth,  James  I,  the  fanatic 
Cromwell,  and  those  of  recent  origin. 

About  the  beginning  of  the  ninth  century  the  Northmen, 
or  Norsemen,  who  were  the  inhabitants  of  Denmark,  Norway, 
and  Sweden,  for  the  first  time  in  history  made  their  appear- 
ance along  the  coasts  of  the  British  Isles,  Germany,  and  Gaul. 
They  came  in  the  character  of  Danish  pirates,  and  every  sum- 
mer these  dreaded  sea-rovers  made  swift  descent  upon  the 

(21) 


314  Christian  Persecutions. 

exposed  shores  of  these  countries  and  plundered  the  people, 
burned  the  hamlets,  and  where  resistance  was  offered,  the  in- 
habitants were  murdered;  after  which  pillaging  they  would 
return  to  their  own  lands  to  spend  the  winter  and  return  again 
the  next  season.  Becoming  emboldened  by  their  successes, 
these  corsairs  established  settlements  alotig  the  shores  and 
took  possession  of  strips  of  territory.  These  invasions  were 
also  directed  against  Ireland  with  considerable  energy,  but 
from  a  religious  standpoint  they  were  not  particularly  severe, 
their  object  being  merely  conquest  for  pillage  and  plunder. 

The  Norman  conquest  of  England,  while  it  changed  the 
line  of  English  sovereigns,  did  not  materially  change  the 
government  of  Ireland.  The  true  Christian  religion  was  main- 
tained in  its  original  purity  without  deviation.  Iw  some  par- 
ticulars certain  observances  were  not  in  exact  harmony  with 
the  established  practice  of  Rome,  but  having  been  instructed 
under,  or  through,  the  influence  of  their  beloved  St.  Patrick, 
no  inducement  could  be  brought  to  bear  to  permit  or  to  effect 
a  change. 

Tlie  history  of  Ireland  furnishes  us  a  list  of  one  hundred 
and  seventy-eight  kings  who  ruled  over  her,  and  of  this  num- 
ber seventy-one  were  killed  in  battle  and  sixty  were  murdered. 
This  gives  us  some  idea  of  the  contention  which  has  ever  been 
a  handicap  to  the  progress  and  enterprise  of  this  nation.  After 
Henry  II  had  ascended  the  throne  of  England  in  1154,  he 
engaged  in  a  war  of  conquest  of  Ireland,  and  divided  the 
lands,  in  vast  tracts,  principally  among  his  favorites.  The 
chiefs  recognizing  these  gifts,  but  still  holding  possession  sim- 
ilar to  the  system  of  landlord  estates  which  have  so  seriously 
crippled  this  country. 


Irish  Persecution.  315 

It  was  not  until  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII,  that  the  regular 
religious  persecution  began.  Under  this  monarch  the  Irish 
people  were  persecuted  much  as  were  the  Catholics  in  Eng- 
land, although  not  with  the  same  individual  supervision.  The 
Irish  Parliament  was  selected  from  those  who  recognized  the 
authority  of  Henry,  and  in  the  selection  of  officers  Catholics 
were  denied  appointment,  unless  they  would  renounce  their 
religion  and  swear  allegiance  to  the  king  and  the  Church  of 
England.  After  the  death  of  Henry  VIII,  Edward  VI  sought 
to  continue  the  same  form  of  intolerance  as  was  practiced  by 
his  father,  but  on  the  introduction  of  the  English  Reform 
Worship  the  Irish  steadfastly  refused  to  recognize  it  as  a 
religion,  and  when  compelled  to  take  part  in  the  services  they 
did  so  from  motives  of  policy  and  not  from  the  promptings 
of  an  honest  conscience.  The  religion  was  ever  hateful  to 
them,  and  in  its  observance  the  act  was  but  the  act  of  a 
machine  moved  by  the  force  of  power  to  obedience,  and  when 
performed,  was  looked  upon  merely  as  a  species  of  labor  that 
must  be  repeated  only  when  there  was  a  demand  from  the 
master.  The  Irish  were  condemned  to  obey  a  hateful  religious 
worship  so  long  that  they  educated  themselves  to  a  practice 
of  policy  to  cover  their  real  feelings,  thus  protecting  them- 
selves from  the  violence  of  oppression. 

Under  Queen  Mary  the  Irish  heart  bounded  with  freedom 
and  joy,  because  she  released  the  people  from  the  religious 
oppression  of  Henry  and  Edward.  Tliey  could  now  enjoy  the 
full  faith  of  their  ancestors.  Protestantism  became  nearly  ex- 
tinct in  Ireland,  for  all  those  who  had  worn  the  cloak  of  policy 
immediately  embraced  the  opportunity  to  publicly  praise  God 


316  Christian  Persecutions. 

from  the  bottom  of  their  hearts.  But  this  happy  condition 
was  ended  by  the  death  of  Mary  and  the  crowning  of  Ehza- 
beth  as  Queen  of  England.  With  EHzabeth  it  was  a  precon- 
ceived plan  to  undo  all  that  Mary  bad  done,  and  to  renew 
the  persecution.  A  systematic  series  of  atrocious  oppressions 
was  now  inaugurated.  The  failure  of  Henry  and  Edward  to 
produce  religious  reform,  and  the  quick  response  to  the  ap- 
peals of  Mary,  embittered  Elizabeth  against  the  Irish,  and  she 
determined  to  Protestantize  the  whole  island.  Insurrections 
frequently  followed  Elizabeth's  commands,  as  the  people 
would  not  obey  them,  but  they  were  finally  subdued  and  the 
religion  of  England  was  declared  to  be  the  only  faith  that 
could  exist.  The  clergy  and  people  were  punished  for  heresy. 
Their  refusal  to  submit  to  this  wicked  persecution  caused 
them  to  be  placed  on  the  rack,  to  be  condemned  to  the  scaf- 
fold, their  property  confiscated,  and  their  civil  qualifications 
denied.  But  with  all  the  determination  manifested  by  Elizabeth 
to  root  out  the  Irish  love  for  the  Church  of  Rome,  yet  at  her 
death,  history  informs  us,  "not  even  sixty  of  the  natives  had 
become  Protestants.''  Her  efforts  in  this  direction  only  tended 
to  more  strongly  cement  their  faith  in  the  teachings  of  St. 
Patrick,  which  had  now  become  so  interwoven  into  their  very 
constitution  that  it  could  never  be  expelled.  Among  those 
wtho  suffered  martyrdom  were  these  three  important  per- 
sonages in  Ireland's  religious  history:  Dermot  O'Hurley, 
Archbishop  of  Cashel;  Patrick  O'Healy,  Bishop  of  Mayo,  and 
Richard  Creagh,  Archbishop  of  Armagh. 

But  hard  as  was  the  condition  of  the  Irish  people  under 
Elizabeth,  vet  harder  still  were  the  decrees  of  James  I,  who, 


Irish  Persecution.  317 

when  he  ascended  the  throne,  ordered  the  Cathohc  priests  to 
leave  the  country  under  pain  of  death.  In  his  amnesty  act 
he  granted  pardon  and  benefits  to  all  except  "Papists  and  as- 
sassins/' and  the  Catholic  religious  service  was  forbidden  even 
in  private.  In  the  act  of  pardon,  issued  by  the  king.  Catholics 
were  regarded  as  no  better  than  assassins.  To  more  fully 
accompHsh  his  purpose.  Catholic  property  was  confiscated  and 
the  individuals  colonized,  and  the  direst  threats  issued  to  com- 
pel obedience.  With  all  these  efforts,  however,  their  religion 
could  not  be  suppressed. 

Under  the  reign  of  Charles  I  these  unrighteous  persecu- 
tions still  continued  until  the  people  arose  as-  one  man  for 
"God,  king,  and  fatherland."  Charles  had  failed  to  keep  his 
pledge,  and  now,  driven  to  desperation  by  continued  persecu- 
tion, they  rose  in  defense  of  their  rights. 

Early  in  the  year  1G42  the  national  convention  at  Kilkenny 
declared  war  for  the  protection  of  the  Irish  reHgion,  for  t!he 
independence  of  the  Irish  Parliament,  and  for  the  upholding 
of  the  king's  pledge  to  comfer  the  fifty-one  graces  that  were 
granted  in  1028  and  suppressed  by  the  Earl  of  Stafford,  Vice- 
roy of  Ireland.  In  this  conflict  the  Irish  were  apparently  suc- 
cessful, and  the  king  was  about  to  grant  concessions  v^hen 
the  English  and  Scotch  Parliaments  denied  making  peace 
with  Catholics,  except  upcm  positive  submission.  The  king 
soon  became  unpopular  throughout  England,  civil  war  en- 
sued, and  he  became  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  the  English 
and  Scotch  rebels. 

In  order  to  follow  the  fortunes  of  Ireland  with  a  small 
degree  of  historic  knowledge,  we  must  notice  the  condition  of 


318  Christian  Persecutions. 

the  English  governniient  under  Charles  I.  Charles  ascended 
the  throne  with  the  declared  thought  that  kings  rule  by  divine 
right.  He  was  forced,  however,  to  sign  a  "Petition  of  Rights" 
granting  a  species  of  constitutional  protection  to  the  people. 
Parliament  to  him  was  only  an  instrument  of  use,  and  when 
not  necessary  in  his  personal  service,  may  be  suppressed. 
From  1629  to  IGIO,  eleven  years,  he  ruled  without  convening 
this  branch  of  government,  thus  changing  it  to  an  absolute 
monarchy.  To  sustain  himself  in  his  tyranny  and  usurpation 
of  public  rights,  he  surrounded  himself  with  servile  followers 
a'nd  unscrupulous  agents  who  devised  means  which  apparently 
sustained  him  in  his  self-ordained  authority.  He  was  again 
declared  the  supreme  head  of  the  English  Church,  with  abso- 
lute power  to  dictate  the  appointments  of  those  who  directed 
the  affairs  of  religion.  To  give  his  civil  proceedings  the 
semblance  of  lawfulness,  he  established  certain  courts,  invest- 
ing them  with  seeming  authority,  and  demanded  the  executioin 
of  his  edicts.  These  courts  were  known  as  the  "Council  of  the 
North,"  the  "Star  Chamber,"  and  the  "High  Commission 
Court."  As  all  these  courts  were  the  instruments  of  the  king's 
pleasure,  and  as  they  sat  without  jury,  it  is  easily  seen  why 
the  courts  of  the  land  sanctioned  his  high  treasoin  towards 
the  rights  of  the  people. 

Tlie  Council  of  the  North  was  a  tribunal  established  by 
Henry  VHI,  for  the  enforcement  of  the  king's  despotism  in 
the  turbulent  northern  counties  of  England.  The  Star  Cham- 
ber Court  dealt  chiefly  with  criminal  cases  against  the  govern- 
ment, such  as  riots,  libels,  and  conspiracy.  Being  a  secret 
court,  individuals  could  be  tried  on  the  smallest  pretext  as 


Irish  Persecution.  319 

conspirators,  or  libelers  of  the  government,  or  king,  and  con- 
demned. The  High  Commission  Court  dealt  with  the  enforce- 
ment of  the  acts  of  Supremacy  and  Uniformity,  and  was  the 
source  of  extreme  persecution  of  Cathohcs.  This  court  was 
estabhshed  by  Ehzabeth  during  her  malignant  persecution, 
and  was  composed  of  forty-four  commissioners,  who,  as  those 
in  all  other  courts,  were  tools  of  the  king  in  enforcing  and 
sustaining  his  power.  The  arbitrary  and  despotic  character  of 
the  government  of  Charles  in  the  enforcement  of  civil  and 
religious  laws,  and  the  helpless  condition  in  which  the  people 
were  placed  by  the  subserviency  of  the  courts  to  his  will, 
caused  thousands  to  seek  America  for  that  freedom  and  secur- 
ity which  was  denied  them  at  home. 

England  was  ready  to  rise  in  rebellion,  when  the  Presby- 
terians of  Scotland,  who  were  being  forced  to  use  the  English 
liturgy,  resisted  and  openly  revolted.  This  resistance  spread 
to  all  classes.  Tlie  nobles,  the  peasants,  and  nearly  all  the 
people  of  Scotland  made  a  solemn  covenant  to  resist  to  the 
very  last  every  attempt  to  make  innovations  in  their  religion. 
By  this  act  they  became  known  as  Covenanters.  Tliis  oc- 
curred in  1638.  The  king,  seeing  the  danger  of  a  universal 
rebellion,  sought  to  subdue  these  riotous  Scotchmen  by  force, 
but  his  oppression  load  gone  so  far  that  tliey  crossed  the  bor- 
der and  demanded  a  recognition  of  rights.  In  this  emergency 
the  king  convened  Parliament,  which  immediately  took  steps 
to  correct  some  of  the  abuses.  Stafford  and  Laud,  the  most 
prominent  instruments  of  the  king's  tyranny,  were  executed; 
and  the  three  iniquitous  -courts  abolished,  and  some  resem- 
blance of  justice  was  being  meted  out  when  Charles  sought 


320  Christian  Persecutions. 

to  seize  five  of  the  most  prominent  members  of  the  House  of 
Commons  on  a  charge  of  treason,  the  object  being  to  intimi- 
date the  House  and  force  it  to  recognize  his  absolute  author- 
ity. But  this  was  the  one  fatal  step  of  the  king.  All  London 
arose  in  defense  of  the  rights  of  Parliament.  Charles  fled,  and 
civil  war  was  soon  raging.  The  country  was  now  divided  into 
two  great  contending  forces — those  who  rallied  to  the  stand- 
ard of  the  king,  and  those  who  sought  for  freedom  from  op- 
pression. For  six  years  England  now  suffered  the  terrible 
experiences  of  fraternal  strife.  As  space  will' not  permit  us  to 
describe  this  conflict,  we  will  simply  mention  that  it  is  at  this 
time  that  the  world  first  hears  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  his  suc- 
cesses in  battle,  his  defeat  of  the  king's  armies,  the  execution 
of  Charles,  and  the  establishment  of  the  Commonwealth  of 
England. 

Early  in  the  campaigns  of  this  rebellion,  Oliver  Cromwell 
became  known  as  a  zealous,  or  fanatic,  Presbyterian,  and  in 
his  regiment,  the  "Ironsides,"  every  man  was  an  ardent  de- 
fender of  his  Puritanic  faith.  The  ability  of  this  man  to  organ- 
ize and  to  administer  discipline  was  so  great  that  he  soon 
rose  to  be  the  commanding  officer  of  the  rebellion.  His  army 
of  20,000  enthusiastic  Puritans  was  a  marvel  of  power  and 
obedience.  In  the  battle  of  Naseby,  Cromwell  defeated  the 
Royalists  with  great  loss,  and  the  cause  of  the  king  was  irre- 
trievably lost.  Charles  escaped  into  Scotland,  but  was  sur- 
rendered to  Parliament.  We  now  find  Cromwell  transformed 
from  the  dictator  of  battles  to  the  dictator  of  laws.  Parliament 
desired  to  restore  Charles  to  the  throne,  but  Cromwell  decided 
otherwise.     He  ordered  an  officer  by  the  name  of  Pride  to  be 


Irish  Persecution.  321 

stationed  at  the  door  of  the  hall,  to  arrest  every  member 
obnoxious  to  the  army  and  thus  prevent  an  act  of  restoration. 
In  the  execution  of  this  high-handed  usurpation  of  authority, 
one  hundred  and  forty  members  were  arrested,  leaving  only 
those  who  were  Independents  (Presbyterians)  to  sustain  this 
act  of  military  despotism.  This  act  of  Cromwell's  is  known 
in  history  as  "Pride's  Purge."  The  Commons  being  "purged," 
they  set  about  an  immediate  trial  of  Charles  for  treason.  A 
High  Court  of  Justice,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
members,  was  organized  and  Charles  was  condemned  to  be 
executed  "as  a  tyrant,  traitor,  murderer,  and  enemy  of  his 
country." 

A  few  weeks  after  the  execution  of  Charles  the  House  of 
Commons  voted  to  abolish  the  monarcliy  and  the  House  of 
Lords,  and  to  establish  a  republic  under  the  name  of  "The 
Commonwealth."  In  this  new  government  the  executive 
authority  consisted  of  a  Coimcil  of  State,  composed  of  forty- 
one  members,  with  Cromwell  as  the  real  directing  influence. 

The  Connnonwcalth  thus  instituted  by  the  endiusiasm  of 
religious  and  political  power,  was  being  surrounded  with  new 
dangers.  Europe  was  alarmed  at  the  execution  of  Charles, 
and  Russia,  France,  and  Holland  refused  to  recognize  its 
power.  The  Scots  were  now  repenting  for  having  surrendered 
their  native  sovereign,  and  to  remove  this  stain  of  disloyalty, 
publicly  proclaimed  his  son  their  king  with  the  title  of  Charles 
the  Second.  Tlie  Irish  also  declared  for  the  Prince,  while  the 
Dutch  were  preparing  to  render  assistance.  In  England  the 
Royalists  were  conspiring  to  unite  all  the  forces  and  crush  the 
new  Republic. 


322  Christian  Persecutions. 

In  the  war  with  the  Irish  Cromwell  was  made  Lord 
Lieutenant  of  Ireland,  and  to  explain  and  describe  this  awful 
butchery  we  will  record  from  a  page  of  history: 

"With  his  Ironsides  he  made  quick  and  terrible  work  of 
the  conquest  of  the  island.  Having  taken  by  storm  the  town 
of  Drogheda,  he  massacred  the  entire  garrison,  consisting  of 
three  thousand  men.  About  a  thousand  who  had  sought  asy- 
lum in  a  church  Were  butchered  there  without  mercy.  The 
capture  of  other  towns  was  accompanied  by  massacres  little 
less  terrible.  The  conqueror's  march  through  the  island  was 
the  devastating  march  of  an  Attila  or  a  Zenghis  Khan.'' 

The  following  is  his  own  account  of  the  manner  in  which 
he  dealt  with  the  captured  garrisoos: 

"When  they  submitted,  their  officers  were  knocked  on  the 
head,  and  every  tenth  man  of  the  soldiers  killed,  and  the  rest 
shipped  to  Barbadoes  (to  be  sold  into  slavery)." 

This  butchery  was  the  most  heartless,  inhuman,  and  un- 
christian in  the  whole  annals  of  wars  and  persecution.  A 
strong,  invincible  force  was  marching  against  the  weak,  and 
when  the  weaker  surrendered  none  of  the  honors  of  warfare 
were  granted,  but  instead  the  mad  rage  of  infuriated  demons 
was  given  full  sway.  In  Cromwell's  heartless  disposition  of 
prisoners  the  spirit  of  ancient  savagery  is  strikingly  exempli- 
fied, yet,  forsooth,  history  informs  us  that  his  army  of  20,000 
men  were  "all  honest,  fervent.  God-fearing,  psalm-singing 
Puritans.  When  not  fighting,  they  studied  the  Bible,  prayed 
and  sang  hymns.  Since  Godfrey  led  his  crusaders  to  the  Holy 
Sepulcher,  the  world  had  not  beheld  another  such  an  army 
of  religious  enthusiasts.     From  Cromwell  down  to  the  lowest 


Irish  Persecution.  323 

soldier  of  the  'New  Model'  every  man  felt  called  of  the  Lord 
to  strike  down  all  forms  of  tyranny  in  Church  and  State." 

In  1653  Cromwell  was  made  "Lord  Protector  of  the  Com- 
monwealth," and  although  he  liad  previously  assumed  abso- 
lute control,  yet  not  until  now  had  it  been  conferred  upon  him 
by  legal  authority.  His  administration  was  despotic  and  ty- 
rannical. Royalists  and  Roman  Catholics  were  treated  with 
rigor  and  shamefully  persecuted.  The  press  was  placed  under 
his  absolute  censorship,  and  nothing  was  published  unless  it 
met  his  approval.  He  kept  a  strong  army  in  Scotland,  while 
the  Irish  Royalists  were  repressed  with  remorseless  severity. 
Thousands  were  massacred  and  tens  of  thousands  were  trans- 
ported to  the  West  Indies,  to  be  sold  as  slaves. 

By  this  almost  ceaseless  work  of  wickedness,  however, 
Cromwell  undermined  his  constitution,  and  on  September  3d, 
1G58,  he  died,  leaving  his  son  Richard  to  be  his  successor. 
Richard  was  weak  and  exactly  the  opposite  of  his  father,  and 
after  ruling  a  few  months  resigned  the  Protectorate.  In  the 
restoration  of  the  monarchy,  Charles  II  was  called  from  Hol- 
land to  resume  the  afifairs  of  government  as  left  by  his  father, 
Charles  I. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

IRISH  PERSECUTION— Continued. 
CROMWELL  IN  IRELAND. 

T^HE  history  of  Oliver  Cromwell  is  one  of  the  most  in- 
■*  human  and  bloodthirsty  in  the  records  of  the  Protestant 
Reformatioii.  Few  men,  in  the  history  of  the  world,  have  a 
record  so  tyrannically  black;  yet  by  some  this  man  is  lauded, 
and  the  tributes  of  a  hero,  a  man  of  true  character,  and  a  man 
of  Christian  virtues  bestowed  upon  him.  To  read  his  life, 
serves  to  inspire  pity  for  the  historian  who  attempts  to  justify 
his  acts  under  the  plea  of  war,  insurrection,  or  the  establish- 
ment of  a  religious  creed.  His  wihole  military  life  was  filled 
with  the  ambition  to  stand  at  the  head  of  the  English  govern^ 
ment,  and  to  dictate  its  laws  and  the  enforcement  of  them. 
To  create  popularity,  fear,  or  notoriety,  he  sought  those  fields 
best  adapted  to  promote  them.  In  religion,  he  raised  the 
banner  of  Puritanism,  and  assembled  an  army  of  fanatics, 
which  was  ever  ready  to  wage  war  against  those  who  would 
not  accept  his  belief.  Plis  was  a  crusade  against  religion, 
against  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  against  the  Catholics  of 
Ireland.  Ostensibly,  it  is  true,  his  conquests  were  for  the 
avowed  purpose  of  subjugating  a  rebellious  province,  but  his 
persecutions  were  waged  for  the  purpose  of  reaping  glory  and 
furthering  his  own  ambitions. 

Had  Cromwell  been  raised  outside  of  the   influences  of 

324 


Irish  Persecution.  325 

Christianity,  had  he  been  a  barbarian  or  a  sea-roving  pirate 
on  a  mission  of  plunder,  pillage,  and  ruin,  there  might  have 
been  some  excuses  for  the  awful  murders  which  he  committed 
in  the  name  of  law  and  religion.  He  conquered  Ireland,  not 
to  subdue  an  insurrection,  but  to  supplant  the  lawful  sovereign, 
to  destroy  the  Catholic  Church,  and, to  establish  the  Puritan 
doctrine,  which  he  championed  as  the  only  true  light  for  the 
W'Orship  of  men.  When  we  consider  that  this  apostle  of  per- 
secution was  denominated  a  devout  and  God-fearing  man, 
that  he  organized  an  army  of  praying  Puritans,  that  he  went 
to  battle  with  the  sword  in  one  hand  and  the  Bible  in  the 
other,  that  he  praised  God  for  the  favors  of  liberty,  of  enlight- 
enment, arid  of  being  the  instrument  under  God  for  advancing 
Christianity,  we  are  astounded  to  find  that  with  all  these 
attributes  of  apparent  manhood  the  history  of  his  Christian 
forbearance  shows  him  to  have  been  devoid  of  the  first  senti- 
ment of  humanity,  of  compassion,  or  of  divine  virtue.  For 
him  to  be  tolerated  as  a  Christian,  is  an  insult  to  Christ  and 
his  martyred  crucifixion;  it  is  an  insult  even  to  the  principle 
of  Reformation;  an  insult  to  fanaticism,  and  the  worst  forms 
of  a  crazed  religious  persecution.  If  it  had  been  fanaticism, 
we  might  have  ascribed  his  atrocities  to  a  deluded  motive,  a 
disordered  brain,  or  a  condition  beyond  the  control  of  reason, 
but  when  we  find  him  boasting  of  his  cruelties,  his  slaughters, 
and  his  murders,  we  must  honor  the  fanatic  for  his  motive, 
and  canaiot  designate  Cromwell  more  fittingly  than  as  being 
a  Christian-demon,  a  man-devil,  a  soul  filled  with  hatred,  with 
hypocrisy,  and  with  blasphemy  of  God. 

By  act  of  Parliament,  Cromwell  was  appointed  to  the  office 


326  Christian  Persecutions. 

of  Lord-Lientenant  of  Ireland,  and  with  affected  surprise  at 
such  a  nomination,  and  after  much  apparent  hesitation,  ac- 
cepted the  command;  in  reaHty,  however,  it  was  his  ambition 
to  continue  his  career  as  a  blazing  wonder,  a  great  chieftain, 
and  a  leader  of  the  empire.  Secretly  there  was  a  higher  mo- 
tive than  conquest,  or  subjugation.  He  must  first  surround 
himself  with  victory  over  all  opposition  to  Church  and  royalty. 
He  must  crush  Ireland,  because  Ireland  was  Catholic.  He 
must  make  his  name  illustrious  by  sword  and  persecution,  by 
fear,  by  iriitoleration,  and  by  what  he  called  the  awful  retribu- 
tion of  God.  Then,  when  he  had  reached  the  apex  of  dele- 
gated power,  he  would  seize  the  reins  of  government  and 
become  the  Dictator  of  England — the  goal  of  his  ambition. 

Immediately  on  entering  Ireland,  August  15,  1G49,  he 
commenced  the  subjugation  of  the  country.  Previous  to  his 
arrival  his  forces  had  defeated  Ormond  near  Dublin,  with  a 
loss  of  all  his  baggage,  tents,  and  supplies.  Cromwell's  forces 
also  captured  two  thousand  five  hundred  prisoners,  and  killed 
four  thousand  royal  troops.  This  defeat  had  much  to  do  with 
the  personal  success  of  Cromwell,  who,  on  his  arrival,  attacked 
Drogheda  with  a  terrible  assault,  and  put  to  the  sword  every 
form  of  opposition.  "Priests,  monks,  citizens,  and  soldiers" 
were  massacred  in  a  fanatical  and  frenzied  rage.  This  reign 
of  terror  lasted  two  days,  and  all  those  who  escaped  the  first 
day  were  hunted  out  and  butchered  the  second,  and  history 
informs  us,  "one  person  alone  escaping,  to  carry  the  mourn- 
ful tidings  to  Ormond." 

The  fate  of  Drogheda  was  the  fate  of  every  city  and  tOAvn 
that  did  not  surrender  at  the  first  summons  of  the  Puritan 


Irish  Persecution.  327 

tyrant,  who,  to  cover  his  bloodthirsty  tyranny,  praised  God  for 
his  successes,  and  with  the  Bible  in  one  hand,  wrote  with  the 
other  an  order  to  let  no  Catholic  escape.  His  chief  motive 
was  to  strike  terror  into  the  minds  of  the  inhabitants  and  the 
garrisons.  At  Wexford  the  garrison  made  a  slight  resistance 
and  then  surrendered,  but  this  resistance,  though  small,  cost 
them  their  lives.  On  the  least  pretext,  especially  when  there 
was  opposition,  he  would  give  an  order  to  nuirder  innocent 
men,  women,  and  children,  and  spare  none;  in  fact,  to  anni- 
hilate everything. 

To  fittingly  illustrate  Cromwell's  infamy  and  his  outrage  of 
every  Christian  virtue,  we  cannot  do  better  than  give  his  own 
staitement  when  questioned  as  to  the  disposition  of  his  pris- 
oners: "When  they  submitted,  their  ofificcrs  were  knocked  on 
the  head,  and  every  tenth  man  of  the  soldiers  killed,  and  the 
rest  shipped  to  Barbadoes." 

We  find  that  in  this  manner  twenty  thousand  were  sent  to 
the  West  Indies  and  sold  as  slaves,  and  many  thousands  more, 
chiefly  women,  were  sent  to  the  American  colonies. 

To  describe  the  real  condition  of  the  Catholics  in  Ireland 
after  their  subjugation,  we  will  quote  from  Alzf>g,  the  great 
German  Church  Historian,  page  253,  vol.  iii: 

"Those  who  were  not  sent  abroad  were  shut  up  in  the 
western  province  of  Connaught.  Preparatioms  for  the  settle- 
ment of  Connaught  by  the  Catholics  were  completed  by  the 
year  1G53,  and,  by  an  act  of  the  English  Parliament,  all  who 
were  found  after  the  date  of  May  1,  1G54,  on  the  eastern  side 
of  the  Shannon,  were  liable  to  the  penalty  of  death.  British 
settlements,  extending  to  the  distance  of  several  miles,  were 


328  Christian  Persecutions. 

planted  along  the  seacoast  and  the  western  bank  of  the  Shan- 
non, and  composed  of  men  long  trained  to  military  service. 
Judging  by  human  standards,  the  Catholic  religion  was  as 
good  as  extinct  in  Ireland.  This  barbarous  proscription  was 
applied  to  all  the  land-owmers  of  the  island  who  could  not 
prove  that  during  the  whole  time  of  the  civil  war  they  had 
shown  a  'constant  good  affection  to  the  cause  of  the  parlia- 
ment.' It  must  also  be  borne  in  mind  that  Connaught  had 
been  made  desolate  by  the  civil  wars,  and  that  those  of  the 
nobility  who  could  trace  their  ancestry  back  to  the  dim  mists 
where  history  begins,  and  who  had  been  accustomed  to  move 
about  in  noble  palaces  and  enjoy  all  the  luxuries  of  life,  could 
not  find  a  dwelling  place  fit  for  a  human  being  to  abide  in. 
Famine  supervened  to  add  to  the  misery  of  war  and  persecu- 
tion, and  historian's,  Protestant  and  Catholic  alike,  agree  in 
stating  that  no  pen  can  adequately  portray  the  hardships  and 
sufferings  which  this  poor  but  gallant  people  underwent  for 
religion's  sake.  Of  a  hierarchy  of  twenty-six  prelates,  three 
only  were  permitted  to  remain;  and  of  the  priests,  those  who 
were  not  martyred  were  condemned  to  go  into  exile,  only 
twenty-eight  days  being  given  them  to  quit  the  kingdom.'' 

Thus  Cromwell,  the  zealous  follower  of  John  Calvin,  and 
the  most  wonderful  figure  in  the  history  of  England,  came 
like  a  storm  cloud  upon  the  field  ol  revolution,  won  his  vic- 
tories through  the  force  of  a  perfect  discipline ;  "purged"  the 
House  ol  Commons  of  all  offensive  members;  overthrew  the 
monarchy;  abolished  the  House  of  Lords;  establisihed  The 
Commonwealth;  and  in  the  furtherance  of  his  despotic  power, 
accepted  from  the  hands  of  his  own  servants  the  Protectorship 


Irish  Persecution.  329 

of  his  own  Commonwealth.  Besides  this,  he  blackened  his 
name  by  his  butcheries  of  Irish  subjects,  and  ruled  his  sub- 
jects, in  constant  fear  and  consternation,  with  savage  despot- 
ism. His  was  a  career  of  mad  fanaticism.  He  knew  no  tolera- 
tion, no  justice  to  opposition,  and  no  mercy  to  those  who  did 
not  follow  his  Puritanic  faith.  His  soul  was  filled,  not  with 
charity  and  forgiveness,  but  with  malice,  hatred,  and  persecu- 
tion. He  pretended  to  be  a  Christian,  and  prayed  God  to 
direct  his  footsteps.  In  his  insane  vengeance,  however,  he 
murdered  with  a  remorseless  conscience,  and  his  record  of 
barbarous  cruelties,  his  persecutions  and  maseacres,  his  con- 
fiscation of  property  and  ruin  of  cities,  proves  him  one  of  the 
greatest  tyrants  the  world  ever  saw,  and  well  worthy  of  this 
epitaph  : 

Here  lies  Oliver  Cromwell,  the  cruel  tyrant,  the  pitiless 
murderer,  the  zealous  Christian  Reformer,  and  the  man 
"called  of  the  Lord"  to  destroy  heresy,  to  destroy  the  Catholic 
Church,  to  destroy  unchristian  influence,  and  in  its  place  to 
establish  the  true  Puritan  worship,  and  to  force  Christianity 
in  his  own  narrow  limits  of  persecution,  bloodshed,  and  rurn. 
He  came  as  one  of  the  greatest  soldiers  of  England,  over- 
threw all  forms  of  government,  but  in  the  height  of  his 
achievements  died  a  traitor  to  justice,  a  despot  to  freedom, 
and  a  dishonor  to  Christianity. 

WILLIAM  OF  ORANGE. 

By  the  restoration  of  the  monarchy  under  Charles  II  the 
Catholics  were  relieved  of  the  terrible  persecution  under 
Cromwell.    The  regicides  retained  the  lands  they  had  stolen, 

(22) 


330  Christian  Persecutions. 

but  the  Catholic  owners  were  reimbursed  with  a  very  small 
proportion  of  their  just  dues.  Charles  was  willing  to  grant 
concessions,  but  he  was  opposed  by  the  Protestant  party  and 
denounced  for  the  thought  of  toleration.  A  short  interval  of 
peace  was  established  under  Lord  Berkeley,  and  on  the  acces- 
sion of  James  II  to  the  throne,  in  1GS5,  the  Catholics  of  Ireland 
were  granted  full  freedom  of  worship,  and  a  perfect  equality 
under  the  law  in  all  their  civil  and  political  rights  and 
privileges. 

James  II  publicly  declared  himself  a  Catholic.  He  set 
about  restoring-  the  Catholic  worship  in  all  its  past  fervor. 
These  acts  produced  the  most  violent  protestations  from  the 
Protestant  party.  They  declared  they  would  submit  to  no 
change,  and  denounced  James  as  a  despotic  tyrant.  Before 
he  had  been  king  three  months  the  Duke  of  Monmouth,  an 
illegitimate  son  of  Charles  II,  who  had  been  in  exile  in  the 
Netherlands,  now  came  forth  at  the  head  of  a  small  army,  and 
with  the  promise  of  thousands  who  would  flock  to  his  stand- 
ard, invaded  England,  but  was  defeased  by  the  royal  troops. 
All  who  were  connected  with  this  rebellion  were  sentenced  to 
death  on  the  charge  of  treason.  The  number  condemned  to 
death  was  320  persons,  and  those  who  were  exiled  numbered 
841.  The  court  over  which  Chief  Justice  Jeffries  presided  was 
called  the  "Bloody  Assizes."  Without  doubt  the  trial  of  these 
rebels  was  a  mockery  upon  justice,  but  when  we  consider  that 
James  II  was  lau^ully  enthroned,  and  that  the  revolt  was 
premeditatedly  engaged  in  for  a  usurpation  of  power,  we  can- 
not conscientiously  agree  with  certain  Protestant  historians 
that  it  was  a  persecution  against  Protestants,  but  rather  it 
was  a  meting  out  of  punighment  for  committing  treason. 


Irish  Persecution.  331 

It  was  James'  right,  as  sovereign  king  of  England,  to  pro- 
claim himself  a  Catholic,  if  he  chose  to  do  so,  and  to  seek  to 
restore  the  Catholic  faith,  just  the  same  as  previous  Protestant 
kings  had  overthrown  the  Catholic  and  established  the  Prot- 
estant reHgion.  For  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  it  had 
been  a  see-saw  conflict  between  Catholics  and  Protestants  in 
the  religious  government  of  England.  Each  party,  on  its 
accession  to  power,  immediately  sought  to  establish  their  form 
of  worship,  and  to  compel  its  observance  by  force  of  law. 
With  James  the  Catholic  end  of  the  plank  was  now  up,  and  as 
had  been  previously  done,  he  followed  the  course  of  the 
victors. 

The  Protestant  party  was  now  looking  for  an  opportunity 
to  overthrow  James,  and  secretly  conferred  with  the  Prince 
of  Orange,  son-in-law  of  James,  the  chief  magistrate  of  the 
United  Provinces  of  Holland,  and  one  of  the  most  powerful 
Protestant  Reformers  of  Europe,  urging  him  to  come  to  the 
rescue  of  Protestantism  in  England.  As  his  wife,  Mary,  was  a 
legal  heir  to  the  throne,  they  should  come  with  force,  and, 
inaugurating  a  new  rebellion  at  home,  overthrow  James  and 
restore  the  Protestant  faith.  The  bait  was  accepted,  and  a 
Dutch  fleet  set  sail  for  England,  where  he  successfully  organ- 
ized a  revolt  so  great  that  the  king  and  queen  fled  to  France, 
leaving  the  Prince  of  Orange  in  full  possession  of  the  govern- 
ment. 

The  first  act  of  the  Prince  of  Orange  was  to  call  a  con- 
vention for  the  purpose  of  establishing  the  permanent  settle- 
ment of  the  crown.  This  Convention  conferred  the  royal 
authority  upon  William  and  Mary  as  joint  sovereigns.    The 


332  Christian  Persecutions. 

Convention  also  established  certain  Declarations  of  Rights 
by  which  the  liberties  of  the  people  should  be  g-naraiitccd,  and 
Parliament  should  become  the  governing  power.  With  a 
pledged  acknowledgment  of  these  rights,  William  and  Mary 
were  crowned  King  and  Queen  of  England. 

In  the  establishment  of  the  Declaration  of  Rights,  or  as 
framed  into  law,  the  Bill  of  Rights  forever  settled  the  question 
in  England  of  the  sovereign  rights  of  kings.  It  "transferred 
sovereignty  from  the  king  to  the  House  of  Commons,"  and 
the  power  of  kings  should  be  to  execute  the  laws  of  Parlia- 
ment, and  not  to  create  them.  But  let  us  examine  the  new- 
Bill  of  Rights,  which  was  to  grant  liberties  to  the  people.  It 
declared  that  all  persons  holding  communion  with  the  Church 
of  Rome  should  be  "forever  incapable  to  possess,  inherit,  or 
enjoy  the  crown  and  government  of  the  realm.''  This  decla!ra- 
tion  has  not  been  annulled,  and  remains  in  force  to  the  present 
day.  But  what  of  the  justice  of  a  law  which  grants  boasted 
liberties  and  aimis  to  more  firmly  cement  union,  which  forever 
bars  one  class  because  of  its  religion?  Is  it  not  persecution 
most  unchristianlike? 

James  now  crossed  over  to  Ireland  and  placed  himself  at 
tlie  head  of  the  Irish  people,  who  had  remained  loyal  to  him. 
The  Prince  of  Orange  became  enraged  at  this  treasonable 
conduct  (it  was  treason  now  on  the  other  side),  and  went  to 
give  him  battle.  William  was  successful  in  his  invasion  of 
Ireland,  and  in  the  decisive  battle  of  Boyne  he  gained  a  com- 
plete victory  over  James  and  his  allied  forces.  But  woe  to 
the  day  when  the  Irish  people  enraged  the  great  Christian 
apostle,  William  of  Orange.     Cromwell  did  all  he  could  to 


Irish  Persecution.  333 

humiliate,  debase,  and  to  completely  subjugate  these  people. 
He  sought  to  destroy  their  religion  by  force  and  through 
persecution;  to  intimidate,  punish,  disgrace,  and  even  exact 
the  penalty  of  death  in  order  to  destroy  their  faith  in  the 
Church  of  Rome.  But  of  no  avail.  Like  the  ancient  Chris- 
tians of  Rome,  they  meekly  submitted  to  the  awful  cruelties 
of  Cromwell's  oppression  and  despotic  tyranny.  Though  he 
persecuted  the  flesh  with  all  the  rigor  of  law,  and  assailed  the 
heart,  the  mind,  the  reason,  yet  he  could  not  obliterate  from 
the  conscience  of  the  true  Catholic  of  Ireland  that  simple  and 
ever-enduring  faith  which  he  held  for  Christ  in  the  adopted 
worship  of  their  reHgion. 

No  people,  since  the  idolatrous  times  of  Pagan  persecu- 
tion, were  more  fiercely  followed  by  the  demon  of  oppression 
than  were  the  Irish  under  Cromwell,  yet  the  history  of  William 
of  Orange  abounds  with  deeds  more  foul  if  possible  than  were 
ever  committed  by  previous  tyrants.  Through  force  he  had 
usurped  the  throne  of  England,  and  through  force  he  would 
reduce  Ireland  from  the  enjoyment  of  the  religion  of  James  II 
to  the  worse  than  religious  slavery  of  Cromwell.  He  inaugu- 
rated a  new  form  of  persecution,  which  may  be  understood  in 
some  small  degree  when  we  recite  some  of  the  means  he  used 
to  extort  a  confession  of  faith  for  the  Protestant  party.  Will- 
iam promised  freedom  of  conscience  and  worship,  but  at  the 
same  time  so  surrounded  these  privileges  as  to  humiliate  the 
conscience  in  its  unseen  persecution.  While  there  was  an 
apparent  outward  appearance  of  toleration,  yet  the  restrictions 
were  so  inhuman  in  the  declaration  of  justice  as  to  rob  the 
Catholic  worship  of  half  its  pleasure,  its  beauties  of   concep- 


334  Christian  Persecutions. 

tion,  and  its  power  to  carry  to  the  heart  the  subHme  teachings 
of  Jhe  Great  Master. 

To  follow  the  persecutions  of  William,  and  Queen  Anne, 
who  came  after  him,  would  require  a  volume  of  description. 
We  will,  therefore,  give  only  the  particulars  and  allow  the 
reader  to  draw  his  own  conclusions. 

To  reduce  to  slavery  and  poverty,  their  property  was  con- 
fiscated and  given  to  those  who  sought  favors  at  the  hands 
of  the  sovereigns.  These  estates  became  the  property  of 
Protestant  landlords,  and  although  the  laws  were  supposed  to 
protect  even  the  lowest  individuals  in  their  individual  rights, 
yet  these  poor  Irish  peasants,  robbed  of  their  inheritance, 
were  now  subjected  to  insults,  abuse,  indecency,  and  all  the 
petty  annoyances  which  overbearing  lords  could  inflict.  They 
had  no  regard  for  condition  or  feeHngs,  and  while  laws  were 
made  to  protect  them  from  this  barbarous  and  inhuman  treat- 
ment, yet  they  were  never  enforced  and  there  was  no  redress. 
The  courts  were  a  mockery  and  controlled  by  the  nobility, 
and  justice  was  as  fleeting  as  were  the  mythical  gods  of  old. 
If  an  Irish  peasant  attempted  to  bring  a  charge  of  abuse  he 
was  turned  aside  in  the  great  court  ol  justice  and  made  to  feel 
his  humbleness,  his  degradation,  and  his  slavery. 

To  crush  the  spirit  of  faith  the  Catholic  bishops  were  ban- 
ished from  the  island,  and  the  priests  who  were  allowed  to 
remain  were  required  to  take  an  oath  of  abjuration  against  the 
Stuarts,  have  their  names  recorded,  and  furnish  two  securities 
of  £50  each  as  a  guarantee  of  loyalty.  They  were  prohibited 
from  performing  church  duties  in  any  other  parish,  nor  could 
they  leave  the  country.    They  were  prisoners  under  a  money 


Irish  Persecution.  335 

forfeit.  No  divine  service  could  be  held  outside  the  church 
under  pain  of  banishment,  and  in  church  services  there  could 
be  no  ecclesiastical  raiment,  no  use  of  bells,  no  cross  to  desig- 
nate a  place  of  worship,  no  images  or  crucifixes,  no  emblems 
of  veneration,  and  those  who  sought  holy  pilgrimages  wc^e 
punished  with  the  lash.  Officers  could  question  Catholics  as 
to  where  they  attended  Mass,  who  had  said  it,  and  who  else 
was  present.  If  these  questions  did  not  satisfy  the  officer  he 
could  impose  a  penalty — a  fine  of  £20. 

The  education  of  their  children  was  difficult,  as  the  estab- 
lishment of  private  schools  was  prohibited.  Catholic  teachers 
were  banished,  and  their  return  subjected  them  to  the  penalty 
of  death.  To  secure  the  banishment  of  all  these  teachers,  the 
government  paid  £5  per  head  to  transport  them  to  the  West 
Indies.  Catholics  were  even  denied  the  right  to  educate  their 
children  on  the  continent,  and  if  there  was  a  suspicion  that  ^ 
child  was  not  at  home  a  magistrate  could  demand  that  it  be 
brought  forward,  under  a  severe  penalty  for  disobe'dience.  To 
send  a  child  to  the  continent  to  be  brought  up  in  the  Catholic 
faith  meant  the  disqualification  from  civil  rights,  while  parents 
were  positively  forbidden  to  teach  their  children  the  faith  of 
their  religion,  yet  the  government  established  Protestant 
schools  for  proselyting  them,  and  compelled  their  attendance. 
In  order  to  completely  fill  the  measure  of  persecution,  all 
Catholic  orphans  were  given  in  charge  of  Protestant  guardians. 

But  although  persecution  is  bad  enough,  what  can  be  said 
of  rewarding  apostasy?  Priests  were  ofifered  £20,  then  £30, 
and  then  i40  annuities  to  renounce  their  churciies  and  preach 
the  Protestant  faith.     If  the  eldest  son  of  a  Catholic  turned 


336  Christian  Persecutions. 

Protestant,  he  became  possessed  of  the  whole  property  of  the 
parents.  Should  others  accept  the  Reform  worship,  the  Chan- 
cellor of  Ireland  would  determine  his  inheritance.  A  woman 
who  would  denounce  the  Church  might  separate  herself  from 
her  husband,  and  for  a  priest  to  marrj^  a  Catholic  and  a 
Protestant  was  to  incur  the  penalty  of  death.  To  further 
crush  the  Church  of  Rome,  Catholics  were  excluded  from  all 
the  offices  of  State,  the  army,  the  navy,  were  not  permitted 
to  serve  as  magistrates  or  hold  any  office  or  emolument  what- 
soever, and  in  1703  they  were  excluded  from  both  Houses  of 
Parliament.  They  were  also  forbidden  to  purchase  landed 
property,  and  leases  were  of  short  duration.  In  the  exaction 
of  leases  the  tenant  was  obliged  to  give  two-thirds.  A  Cath- 
olic could  not  become  a  lawyer,  or  juryman,  and  in  carrying 
on  a  trade  they  were  subjected  to  inconveniences  and  restric- 
tions. 

The  Protestant  clergy  took  possession  of  the  rich  Catholic 
benefices,  and  in  one  hundred  and  ninety-eight  instances  next 
a  single  Protestant  dwelt  in  the  parish,  and  yet  the  Catholics 
were  o^^erburdened  with  taxation  for  the  support  of  the 
bishops,  pastors,  and  the  Anglican  Church.  To  help  support 
a  religious  organization  in  which  they  had  no  interest,  was  a 
double  persecution.  Many  pastors  had  no  congregation,  but 
used  the  money  wrung  from  their  parishioners  to  travel  and 
live  sumptuously,  while  the  Catholic  priests  had  to  depend 
wholly  upon  the  free  contributions  from  a  poor  and  oppressed 
following  to  keep  them  from  hunger  and  starvation. 

These  are  only  a  few  of  the  many  cruel  indignities  heaped 
upon  the  despoiled  and  oppressed  people  of  Ireland,  and  all 


Irish  Persecution,  337 

because  of  their  loyalty  to  the  Cathohc  faith.  In  the  entire 
history  of  civihzed  nations  no  such  monstrous  tyranny  was 
ever  practiced  upon  an  innocent  people.  It  was  not  the 
carrying  into  elifect  of  law  and  order,  but  fanatical  persecu- 
tion and  intolerance,  born  of  hatred  to  Catholicism,  with  a 
determination  to  overthrow  the  Pope  of  Rome. 

English  statesmen  have  gradually  come  to  see  how  fruit- 
less have  been  the  attempts  to  subdue  the  Catholic  faith 
among  these  people  by  arbitrary  laws.  Justice,  however,  to 
Irish  Catholics  has  been  slow  and  long  drawn.  The  cruel 
intoleration  has  gradually  been  mitigated,  nevertheless,  until 
at  last  many  important  measures  bearing  upon  the  freedom 
of  worship  and  the  rights  of  citizens  have  been  enacted. 

But  in  all  these  periods  of  persecution  the  faith  which  had 
been  tailght  by  St.  Patrick  remained  firm  and  unshaken,  and 
in  the  whole  religious  world  no  people  have  a  record  of  such 
unfaltering  devotion  to  divine  worship  as  have  the  people 
of  Ireland. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

ORIGIN  OF  THE  GREEK  CHURCH. 

npHE  origin  of  this  Church,  where  estabhshed,  and  its  man- 
■*■  nor  of  worship,  is  not  generally  understood.  Originally 
it  was  a  part  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and,  in  fact,  the  most 
earnest  in  the  advancement  of  science  and  learning,  and  in 
the  spread  of  Christianity,  but  in  the  early  days  of  its  existence 
it  became  estranged  because  of  its  inability  to  force  a  recogni- 
tion of  certain  forms  of  faith  which  were  opposed  by  the 
Church  of  Rome.  Being  at  the  time  the  most  influential,  and, 
in  fact,  the  most  powcriul  branch  of  Christianity,  the  Church 
dignitaries  believed  they  had  the  right  to  dictate  what  should 
and  what  should  not  be  the  proper  form  of  worship.  These 
disputed  forms  of  worship  or  veneration,  related  more  partic- 
ularly to  the  use  of  images,  pictures  and  relics  representing 
Christ,  the  Virgin  Mary  and  die  Saints.  This  branch  of  the 
Catholic  Church  had  conceived  the  idea  that  the  use  of  these 
representatives  of  divine  personality  was  of  an  idolatrous  na- 
ture, a  return  to  pagan  principles,  and  must  be  suppressed. 
They  had  become  imbued  with  the  thouglit  that  images  were 
Pagan  idols;  that. they  represented  Pagan  idolatry,  instead  of 
a  veneration  for  the  author  of  Divine  light  and  intelligence. 
They  demanded  of  the  Church  of  Rome  the  abolition  of  all 
their  church  emblems,  of  faith  and  of  worship.  They  also 
demanded  that  Constantinople,  now  the  head  of  the  empire, 
should  also  be  the  head  of  the  Church.    The  East  had  been 


Origin  of  the  Greek  Church.  339 

the  great  source  of  light  in  the  advancement  of  the  cause  of 
Christianity  and  by  right  of  this  God-given  advantage  it  should 
also  be  the  head  of  all  religious  inspiration. 

To  explain  the  condition  of  the  empire,  we  must  go  back 
to  the  days  of  Constantine    the  Great,  who,  in  the  year  300, 
became  the  sole  ruler  of  the  Roman  world.     (In  a  preceding 
chapter  we  give  the  history  of  Constantine,  and  his  conversion 
to  the  Christian  faith.)     After  Constantine  became  converted 
to   Christianity,  his  most  important  act  was  to  remove  the 
capital  of  the  Roman  Empire  to  Byzantium,  which,,  in  later 
years,  was  called  Constantinoplo,  in  honor  of  his  name,  Con- 
stantine.   The  objects  of  removal  were  twofold:    Constantine 
was  ungratefully  received  and  treated  by  the  people  of  Rome, 
because  of  his  conversion  to  Christianity.     They  were  loud  in 
their  disapproval  of  his  abandonment  of  the  worship  of  their 
old  and  established  mythical  deities.     They  declared  his  re- 
ligion the  outcome  of  heresy,  a  declaration  of  dishonor,  ancl 
an  impious  desecration  of  their  gods.     So  loud  were  their 
complaints  that  Constantine  decided  to  move  his  throne  to 
Byzantium,  and  thus  punish  the  Romans  for  their  intolerance. 
Another    reason    was    one    of   general    commercial    interest. 
Through  the  Eastern  conquests  the  most  valuable  portions  of 
the  Roman  Empire  lay  more  to  the  East  than  to  the  West. 
It  became  the  center  of  population,  wealth,  brilliancy  and 
power.    Egypt,  Syria  and  Asia  Minor  had  been  the  source  of 
ancient  civilization  from  which  Rome  was  proud  to  trace  her 
origin.     West  of  Rome  were  the  rude  and  barbarous  prov- 
inces of  Gaul,  Britain  and  Spain.     It  is,  therefore,  not  strange 
that  Constantine  should  seek  to  place  the  capital  of  his  empire 
nearer  the  center  of  population,  wealth  and  culture. 


340  Christian  Persecutions. 

And  again,  it  is  not  strange  that  the  Eastern  emperors 
should  seek  to  draw  the  center  of  Christianity  towards  them- 
selves with  the  idea  that,  thus  separated,  a  coldness  would  arise 
between  the  real  Church  and  the  ambition  of  the  Eastern  di- 
vision. Having,  in  a  measure,  alienated  themselves  from 
Rome  they,  in  after  years,  and  centuries,  became  emboldened 
by  the  advancement  of  the  philosophy  of  the  reformers  and 
demanded  changes  in  their  forms  of  worship. 

The  Greek  emperors  were  proud  and  ambitious.  They  ig- 
nored  the  authority  of  the  Pope,  and  to  more  firmly  place  their 
power  upon  the  Church,  they  would  assemble  bishops  to  de- 
cide doctrinal  matters,  and  whoever  should  differ  from  them 
in  opinion  would  be  banished  from  the  empire,  accused  of  in- 
fidelity, held  up  in  disgrace,  and,  if  defiant  in  regard  to  sus- 
taining the  true  faith,  would  be  tortured,  or  put  to  death.  The 
whole  Eastern  division  of  Christianity  now  became  a  source  of 
persecution  to  the  Roman  Church. 

About  730  there  arose  a  new  emperor — Leo,  the  Isaurian — 
who  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  a  new  heresy  of  his  own  in- 
vention, and  sought  to  force  the  Church,  her  bishops  and  the 
Pope  to  recognize  his  new  lines  of  worship.  He  accused  the 
Church  with  unfaithfulness  to  God  and  to  Christ.  He  de- 
nounced the  bishops  and  Pope  with  the  practice  of  idolatrous 
worship,  because  they  honored  the  images  of  Christ  and  the 
Saints.  Gregory  HI  solemnly  denied  that  the  Church  had 
ever  practiced,  or  sanctioned  idolatry,  and  explained  that  the 
reverence  paid  their  images  was  not  bestowed  upon  those  in- 
animate forms,  but  to  the  Saintly  Beings  which  they  repre- 
sented.    Gregory  also  explained  that  all  pictures,  images,  rel- 


Origin  of  the  Greek  Church.  341 

ics  and  crosses  were  but  symbols  of  veneration,  and  not  of 
worship,  and  as  the  eyes  of  CathoHcs  rested  upon  them,  their 
thoughts  and  their  souls  went  out  to  commune  with  Christ  and 
his  divine  inspirations.  Unlike  the  worship  of  the  ignorant 
pagan  these  images  of  reverence  onl-y  served  to  cause  us  to 
think,  to  speak  and  to  worship  the  true  and  living  God.  As 
the  picture,  or  emblem  of  Christ  sought  to  impress  the  mind 
with  holy  wisdom,  so,  too,  did  tJhc  cross  seek  to  lead  the  way 
to  faith  and  immortality. 

And  yet  this  earnest  protestation  of  Gregory  only  served 
to  enrage  the  emperor  Leo,  and  in  revenge  for  his  audacity 
in  questioning  his  self-appointed  power,  he  issued  an  edict  de- 
claring that  all  pictures  of  saints,  images  of  Christ,  statues  and 
crucifixes  should  be  torn  from  Churches  and  private  houses 
and  destroyed.  In  obedience  to  this  command,  this  unholy 
order,  churches  were  desecrated  and  all  the  emblems  of  faith 
were  publicly  burned.  Even  the  valuable  libraries  of  the 
Church  were  destroyed  and  the  great  crucifix  erected  to  com- 
memorate a  brilliant  victory,  was  hewn  to  pieces  and  cast  into 
the  fire.  Walls  that  were  decorated  with  the  paintings  of  his- 
toric figures  were  ruthlessly  demolished,  and  even  the  teachers 
of  science  were  called  upon  to  denounce  this  Christian  wor- 
ship, or  become  the  victims  of  rage  and  persecution. 

From  741  to  775  this  reign  of  cruelty  was  increased  a 
thousandfold.  The  new  emperor,  son  of  Leo,  continued  to 
persecute  the  faithful  Christians  who  held  to  the  veneration  of 
these  emblems  of  Christ  and  his  worship.  In  their  martyrdom 
they  suffered  the  terrible  pain  of  having  their  eyes  put  out, 
their  faces  disfigured,  their  bodies  mutilated,  and  their  flesh 


342  Christian  Persecutions. 

scourged  with  the  most  fiendish  and  atrocious  cruelties. 
Thousands  were  cast  into  prison,  where,  in  want  and  pitiful 
neglect,  they  died  victims  to  the  baseness  of  tyrannical  power. 
But  these  persecutions  did  not  appease  his  wrath.  With  the 
full  force  of  a  most  damnable  vengeance,  he  smote  the  monks 
as  being  the  boldest  defenders  of  them  all.  No  insult,  no 
torture  that  could  be  invented  was  spared  in  this  hellish  work. 
In  his  mad  rage  he  commanded  that  they  be  burned,  as  Nero 
burned  the  Christians  at  Rome.  Their  beards  were  filled  with 
pitch  and  set  on  fire,  their  clothes  were  saturated  with  oil,  their 
naked  bodies  were  rolled  in  the  glowing  embers  of  a  prepared 
fire,  the  flesh  was  seared  with  red-hot  irons,  and  in  wanton 
abandon,  bent  upon  destruction,  he  burned  convents,  tore 
down  churches,  destroyed  holy  vessels,  broke  the  wooden 
figures  and  crosses  over  the  heads  of  his  victims,  and  in  the 
heat  of  liis  unanswerable  butchery  he  dug  up  the  bodies  of  the 
Saints  and  burned  them  with  fire. 

That  this  monstrous  desecration  of  human  rights,  and  the 
blasphemous  insults  to  Christ  and  to  the  Church  might  have 
the  seal  of  authority  stamped  upon  it,  he  called  a  council,  com- 
posed of  three  hundred  and  thirty-eight  Eastern  bishops,  wlio, 
in  their  servile,  fawning,  cringing  obedience,  sanctioned  his 
villainy,  and  in  confirmation  of  the  law  against  image  venera- 
tion, declared:  "That  as  God  had  formally  sent  His  apostles 
to  annihilate  idolatry.  He  had  now  raised  up  the  Greek  em- 
perors and  filled  them  with  His,  wisdom,  that  by  their  means 
we  might  be  instructed,  and  the  devil's  invention  (the  honor- 
ing of  images)  rooted  out." 

Reader,  can  you  believe  that  such  an  awful,  blasphemous, 


Origin  of  the  Greek  Church.  343 

and  unholy  condition  could  have  existed  in  the  confines  of 
Christendom?  Does  it  seem  possible  that  in  the  cruelty  of  am- 
bition, or  despotism,  or  under  the  cover  of  religious  zeal,  that 
such  intoleration  could  have  become  the  authorized  law  of  an 
empire?  And  is  it  any  wonder  that,  with  this  most  inhuman 
persecution,  there  must  come  a  time  when  true  Christians 
would  no  longer  stand  the  oppression,  and  in  defense  of  their 
very  existence,  throw  these  murderers  and  defamers  beyond 
the  realm  of  the  Roman  Church?  But  with  humble  charity  and 
forgiveness,  let  us  try  to  remember  that  these  monstrous  em- 
perors were  not  Christians,  but  heretics,  sent  by  the  devil  to 
create  dissensions,  foment  quarrels,  and  to  divide  the  King- 
dom of  Christ.  Let  us  try  to  believe  that  this  coming  dis- 
imion,  instigated  by  the  Church  of  the  East,  hastened  its  com- 
ing decay  and  its  confiscation  of  territory  by  the  onward 
march  of  the  hordes  of  Mahometan  followers;  that  it  lost  its 
wonderful  wisdom,  its  wealth,  its  society,  and  its  grandeur  of 
power,  by  this  infidelity  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  its  perse- 
cution of  the  Church  of  Rome. 

If  there  was  ever  a  judgment  sent  by  God  to  avenge  his 
people,  this  judgment  was  sent  to  strike  the  greatness  of  this 
Eastern  empire.  From  these  persecutions  began  the  dry  rot 
of  dissolution.  The  Church  of  Rome  sought  to  re-establish 
the  past  union,  to  hold  out  the  olive-branch  of  peace  and  char- 
ity, and  to  check  the  downward  tendency  of  a  degenerate  wor- 
ship. But  it  was  of  no  avail.  The  Greek  emper6rs  were 
proud,  haughty,  and  fiercely  opposed  to  the  authority  of  the 
Pope  of  Rome. 

After  the  death  of  Leo  and  his  son,  Leo  IV,  a  better  feel- 


344  Christian  Persecutions. 

ing  prevailed,  persecution  having  been  abolished  by  the  Em- 
press Irene.  In  787  Pope  Adrian  I  called  a  council  at  Nicea, 
to  determine  the  will  of  the  Church  in  the  honoring  of  images 
in  the  house  of  God.  In  this  council  three  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-seven bishops  were  present,  and  after  a  due  consideration 
of  the  teachings  of  Holy  Scripture,  those  assembled  fathers  de- 
clared as  follows : 

"That,  besides  representations  of  the  Holy  Cross,  holy 
images  are  fitly  to  be  placed  in  churches,  on  sacred  vessels,  on 
vestments,  walls  and  tablets,  in  houses  and  by  the  wayside — 
such  images,  to  wit,  as  those  of  our  Lord,  of  the  Immaculate 
Mother  of  God,  of  the  holy  Angels,  and  of  the  saints.  The 
more  men  contemplate  such  images,  the  more  will  they  be 
put  in  mind  of  the  originals,  and  stirred  up  to  imitate  their 
examples,  and  to  ofTer  them  their  salutations  and  homage, 
though  not  that  worship,  properly  so  called,  which  belongs 
to  God  alone.  It  is  lawful  that  images  as  well  as  the  Holy 
Cross,  the  book  of  the  Gospels,  and  other  holy  things,  should 
be  honored  with  incense  and  lights,  according  to  the  ancient 
pious  usage;  for  honor  paid  to  an  image  passes  on  to  its  orig- 
inal, and  who&o  venerates  the  image  venerates  him  whom  it 
represents." 

The  Catholics  were  overjoyed  at  this  restoration  of  peace. 
Soon,  however,  they  were  filled  with  consternation  at  a  new 
outbreak  of  persecution. 

In  814  Leo,  the  Armenian,  was  loud  in  his  denunciation, 
and  heaped  the  most  disgraceful  indignities  upon  Catholic 
subjects  that  could  be  devised.  Coming  from  tihe  ranks  of  the 
soldier,  this  emperor  was  rough  and  almost  uncivilized,  des- 


Origin  of  the  Greek  Church.  345 

potic  in  the  exercise  of  power  and  full  of  the  feelings  of  au- 
thority and  the  enforcement  of  laws  of  fanatic  inspiration. 

Following  this  Armenian  emperor,  came  Michael  Palseolo- 
gus,  and  his  son,  Theophilus,  who  were  both  brutal  and  in- 
human. 

It  was  not  until  842  that  toleration  was  again  declared, 
when  the  Empress  Theodora  was  placed  in  control  of  the  gov- 
ernment. A  .synod  was  called  in  Constantinople  in  commem- 
oration of  the  restoration  of  the  images,  a  special  feast  was  in- 
stituted, and  great  joy  again  prevailed;  and  yet,  notwithstand- 
ing the  persecution  of  one  part  of  tlie  empire  by  the  other, 
there  had  been  no  general  breach  between  the  Eastern  and 
Western  Churches,  but  this  almost  unbearable  condition  could 
not  exist  much  longer,  as  the  Church  of  Rome  had  gone  be- 
yond the  extreme  limit  of  toleration.  To  break  with  the  East- 
ern Church  was  a  great  cross,  and  the  Pope  hesitated  long  be- 
fore executing  the  decree  that  would  excommunicate  this 
rich  and  powerful  division  of  the  Catholic  Church.  But  still 
the  storm  of  conflict  rolled  louder  and  louder,  with  no  prom- 
ises of  a  better  and  more  perfect  understanding. 

In  857,  Barolas,  uncle  of  the  emperor,  and  who  wielded  al- 
most absolute  power,  caused  to  be  banished  from  his  see  the 
aged  and  rightful  patriarch  of  Constantinople,  Ignatius,  and 
in  his  place  substituted  the  learned,  but  wicked  Photius.  This 
new  authority  commanded  the  bishops  to  conform  to  his  de- 
cree, and  those  failing  to  comply  were  deposed,  imprisoned,  or 
exiled.  Photius  tried  by  every  means  possible  to  force  Igna- 
tius to  abdicate.  He  was  ill-treated,  persecuted,  and  cast  into 
prison.     When,  however,  the  great  Pope  Nicholas  I  learned 

(23) 


346  Christian  Persecutions. 

the  true  facts  concerning  his  imprisonment,  and  the  efforts 
made  to  have  him  deposed,  he  summoned,  at  Rome,  in  SG4,  a 
synod  for  the  discussion  of  and  action  upon  these  conditions. 
This  council  deposed  Photius  and  all  the  bishops  he  had  con- 
secrated. This  usurper  immediately  threw  off  his  garb  of 
concealment,  and  in  summoning  the  bishops  of  his  own  party, 
declared  the  Roman  Churdi  was  advocating  heresy,  and  in  his 
inconsiderate  rage  proclaimed  the  Holy  Father  anathematized. 
Thus  matters  went  on  until  the  year  8G9,  when  the  Eighth 
CEcumcnical  Council  met  at  Constantinople  and  excommuni- 
cated Photius  and  re-established  Ignatius. 

A  new  feature  of  dissension  soon  originated  over  the  prov- 
ince of  Bulgaria  and  threatened  a  new  conflict.  Ignatius  had 
declared  the  Bulgarian  Church  under  his  dominion,  while  the 
emperor  of  Constantinople  demanded  that  he  should  resign 
his  pretensions.  Pope  John  VIII  sought  to  induce  Ignatius 
to  resign  his  jurisdiction  and  prevent  the  coming  conflict. 
Before  any  definite  action  had  been  taken  Ignatius  died,  but  in 
the  meantime  the  hypocritical  Photius  had  sought  by  all 
means  possible  to  gain  the  favor  of  the  court  and  the  clergy. 
He  obtained  control  of  authority,  called  a  new  synod,  and,  by 
a  misrepresentation,  succeeded  in  instituting  changes  in  the 
religion,  and  condemnation  of  the  Eighth  CEcumenical  Coun- 
cil. Pope  John  VIII,  having  ascertained  these  high-handed 
falsifications  and  condemnations,  immediately  excommuni- 
cated Photius,  and  all  the  legates  were  banished  to  a  monas- 
tery. 

No  great  dissensions  hereafter  occurred  between  the  Apos- 
tolic See  and  the  Greek  Church  until  1043,  when  the  Greek 


-   Origin  of  the  Greek  Church.  347 

Church,  under  the  haughty  and  ignorant  Michael  Cerularius, 
reproached  the  Western  division  of  the  Church  for  the  crime 
of  using  unleavened  bread  at  the  Lord's  Supper.  He  also  re- 
proached the  Latins  for  fasting  on  Saturdays,  for  the  drinking 
of  blood,  and  the  eating  of  things  strangled,  and  the  omission 
of  the  Alleluia  (Praise  ye  Jehovah)  during  the  Lenten  feast. 
Efforts  were  made  to  prevent  an  open  rupture,  but  Cerularius 
positively  refused  to  receive  the  legates  sent  by  the  Pope,  and 
broke  off  all  communication  with  them.  He  even  forbade 
them  to  say  Mass. 

"On  the  IGth  of  July,  1054,  the  legates  appeared  at  the 
Church  of  St.  Sophia,  at  the  beginning  of  divine  service,  and 
declared  solemnly  that  all  their  endeavors  to  re-establish  peace 
and  union  had  been  defeated  by  Cerularius.  They  then  laid 
the  bull  of  excommunication  on  the  high  altar  and  left  the 
church,  shaking,  as  they  did  so,  the  dust  from  off  their  feet, 
and  exclaiming  in  the  deepest  grief,  'God  sees  it;  He  will 
judge.'  Thus  was  the  unhappy  schism  between  the  East  and 
West  accomplished." 

"In  following  tbe  liistory  of  the  schismatic  Greek  Church 
up  to  the  present  time,  it  must  be  admitted  in  its  praise  that 
the  Mahometan  powers  have  never  succeeded  in  accomplish- 
ing its  complete  destruction.  Numbers  of  its  members  have 
withstood  the  temptation  of  avoiding  great  hardships  by  em- 
bracing Islamism  and  b<ive  remained  true  to  the  Christian 
faith.  But  like  a  branch  torn  from  its  parent  stem,  it  is  void  of 
life-giving  sap,  and  incapable  of  bearing  further  fruit.  In  it 
we  cannot  see  even  a  trace  of  that  ardent  zeal  for  the  spread  of 
God's  kingdom,  of  that  ever  fresh  faith  and  life  of  willing  de- 


348  Christian  Persecutions. 

votion,  which  in  the  Roman  Cathohc  Church  is  ever  giving 
proof  of  the  abiding  operation  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Where,  in 
the  Eastern  Church,  do  we  find  those  zealous  missioners,  those 
men  mighty  in  word  and  deed,  of  whom  so  many  have  arisen 
in  the  West,  such,  for  instance,  as  St.  Bernard,  St.  Dominic, 
St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  St.  Ignatius  Loyola,  and  St.  Francis 
Xavier?  Where  are  her  legions  of  martyrs?  Where  do  we 
find  in  her  a  Thomas  Aquinas,  a  Charles  Barromeo,  a  Vincent 
de  Paul?  Theologians,  sainted  bishops  and  heroes  of  charity 
such  as  these  the  schismatic  Church  has  none  to  show.  A 
cold,  deaith-like  stupor  everywhere  prevails  in  her.  Since  her 
divorce  from  Rome,  the  despotic  will  of  the  Byzantine  emper- 
ors has  paralyzed  her  energies,  and  from  a  free  spouse  of 
Christ,  she  has  become  the  handmaiden,  or  rather  the  helpless 
slave  of  the  state.  Pier  servitude  beneath  the  Turkish  rule  is 
yet  more  degrading.  The  condition  of  the  patriarchate  of 
Cons'tantinople  has  been  rightly  described  as  the  lowest  and 
most  miserable  to  which  an  old  and  honored  see  could  have 
fallen.  And  far  from  possessing  within  itself  any  renovating 
power,  it  has  but  extended  its  own  corruption  to  the  whole 
hierarchy.  Simony  and  bribery  prevail  everywhere  to  a 
dreadful  degree,  both  among  the  higher  and  lower  clergy,  to- 
gether with  all  manner  of  practices  for  extorting  gifts  and  im- 
posts. The  man  who  can  pay  most  for  the  office  is  chosen 
by  the  Sultan  to  be  patriarch,  and  arbitrarily  deposed  by  him 
should  another  come  forward  with  a  higher  offer.  A  patri- 
arch, therefore,  seldom  dies  in  the  enjoyment  of  his  dignities. 
Having  bought  them  with  hard-won  money,  he  proceeds  to 
reimburse  himself  by  the  sale  of  bishoprics  and  archbishoprics. 


Origin  of  the  Gtreek  Church.  349 

and  the  purchasers  of  these  retahate  in  their  own  extortions  on 
the  lower  clergy  and  the  people.  The  ignorance  of  the  priests 
is  in  general  such  that  the  greater  number  cannot  write,  and 
some  cannot  even  read,  and  with  such  marks  the  climax  of 
degradation.  The  supreme  decision  in  ecclesiastical  questions 
very  often  emanates  from  the  Turkish  Government,  as  was 
expressly  certified  by  the  patriarch  Anthimos  to  the  Holy 
Father,  Pius  IX.  In  this  question  there  arose  a  dispute  re- 
garding the  admixture  of  water  with  the  sacramental  wine, 
and  the  matter  was  laid  before  the  Turkish  Reis-effendi,  who 
pronounced  that  'wine  was  an  unclean  drink,  and  condemnetl 
by  the  Koran,  and  therefore  pure  water  should  be  used.' " 

No  better  is  the  condition  of  the  schismatic  C^reek  Church 
of  Russia.  It  had  been  founded  before^  the  schism  of  Ceru- 
larius,  and  was  included  in  the  separation  from  Rome  by  rea- 
son of  its  dependence  on  the  patriarchate  of  Constantinople. 
A  decree  in  the  year  1551  shows  into  what  a  state  of  decay  it 
had  then  fallen.  A  council  was  held  at  Moscow  by  Macarius, 
an  excellent  patriarch,  for  the  re-establishment  of  Church  dis- 
cipline, which  had  fallen  into  lamentable  confusion;  and  at 
this  council  it  was  unanimously  decreed  that  "of  all  heresies 
condemned  by  the  Church,  none  is  so  culpable  as  that  of  shav- 
ing the  beard,  so  much  so,  that  martyrdom  itself  would  not  be 
sufficient  to  cleanse  from  such  a  crime,"  and  that  "whosoever 
shaves  his  beard  from  human  respect  is  a  transgressor  of  the 
law  and  an  enemy  of  God,  who  created  us  after  His  image  and 
likeness." 

Sufficient  has  been  said  to  show  the  degeneracy  of  the 
Eastern  Church  since  it  broke  its  faith  with  Rome.     On  the 


350  Christian  Persecutions. 

one  side  we  see  the  triumph  of  Christianity  and  the  advance- 
ment of  civiHzation  in  all  its  surroundings,  while  on  the  other 
side  we  see  decay,  a  lost  magnificence,  a  corrupt  administra- 
tion of  church  ofifices,  and  an  intolerance  borne  of  ignorance 
and  superstition.  From  these  evidences  of  poverty  and  pros- 
perity, who  can  say  that  the  great  and  powerful  Greek  Church 
of  centuries  ago  has  not  merited  a  just  punishment  in  its  over- 
bearing persecutions  of  the  Churdi  of  Rome?  Some  of  us 
may  not  believe  in  the  Divine  punishment  of  rebellion,  but  if 
not,  then  we  must  admit  that  in  the  persecution  of  right,  the 
reaction  of  wrong  hurls  itself  against  its  own  bosom,  stifles  the 
principle  of  justice,  and  in  the  overthrow  of  honesty  it  goes 
down  in  degradation  and  ruin. 

It  matters  not  whether  we  believe  in  a  direct  punishment 
by  God,  or  whether,  through  the  destiny  of  his  law,  these  ob- 
jects are  attained.  It  becomes  a  fixed  attribute  of  nature  that 
he  who  sins  must  suffer  the  penalty  of  disobedience.  God,  in 
His  infinite  wisdom,  made  man  to  follow  the  pathway  of  truth, 
righteousness,  and  discipline.  If  from  the  proudness  of  spirit 
he  selects  his  own  path,  and  denies  the  elements  necessary 
for  his  own  elevation,  he  brings  upon  himself  his  own  punish- 
ment and  his  own  defeat.  As  this  is  true  of  man,  state  or  na- 
tion, so  is  it  true  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  Disobey  the  laws  of 
God,  and.it  sinks  into  disunion,  corruption  and  ignorance,  but 
to  obey  Divine  authority  is  to  follow  the  elements  of  love  and 
of  truth,  to  build  upon  the  true  foundation  of  happiness,  and 
to  seek  the  immortality  of  eternal  life.  There  can  be  but  one 
true  path  to  the  object  sought.     If  we  follow  the  will-o'-the- 


Origin  of  the  Greek  Church.  351 

wisp  of  our  imaginations  we  shall  soon  flounder  in  the  mad 
chase  of  an  unholy  phantom.  , 

So  was  it  with  the  Eastern  emperors  of  the  Roman  empire. 
They  saw  their  strength  in  the  success  which  attended  their 
conflicts  of  conquest,  in  the  expansion  of  wealth,  in  the  brill- 
iancy of  society,  and  above  all,  in  the  wonderful  advancement 
of  Christianity.  The  Church  of  the  East  becatne  proud, 
haughty  and  arrogant.  It  sought  to  dictate,  to  demand,  and 
to  persecute.  It  established  its  own  worship  and  its  own  prin- 
ciples of  faith.  Of  its  own  volition,  it  severed  its  relations 
with  the  Church  of  Rome;  and  this  disobedience,  we  see, 
marked  the  gradual  downfall  of  the  Eastern  Church,  and  the 
cause  of  Christianity.  And  so  it  will  remain  until  it  is  awak- 
ened from  its  sleep  of  ignorance  and  has  purged  itself  of  its 
vices  and  its  follies;  then  will  it  again  rise  in  the  splendor  of  its 
past,  spreading  the  luster  of  true  repentance,  true  Christianity, 
and  true  immortality. 

The  Church  of  Russia  dates  from  992,  when  Prince  Vladi- 
mir and  his  people  accepted  Qiristianity.  In  form  it  is  largely 
Catholic.  It  retained  many  of  the  Catholic  forms  of  worship, 
but  rejected  the  Pope.  Its  government  is  by  patriarchs,  which 
arc  subdivided  into  divisions  similar  to  the  subdivisions  of  the 
Apostolic  See  of  Rome.  It  has  no  exact  form  of  worship,  but 
differs  according  to  the  Liturgy  where  used.  The  first  Article 
of  Faith  reads  as  follows: 

Christianity  is  a  Divine  revelation  communicated  to  man- 
kind through  Christ.  Its  saving  truths  are  to  be  learned  from 
the  Bible  and  tradition,  the  former  having  been  written,  and 
the  latter  maintained  uncorrupted  through  the  influence  of  the 


352  Christian  Persecutions. 

Holy  Spirit.  The  interpretation  of  die  Bible  belongs  to  the 
Church,  which  is  taught  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  every  believer 
may  read  the  Scriptures. 

The  last  Article  reads: 

The  Church  of  Christ  is  the  fellowship  of  all  those  who  ac- 
cept and  profess  all  the  Articles  of  Faith  transmitted  by  the 
Apostles  and  approved  by  the  General  Synod.  Without  this 
visible  Church  there  is  no  salvation.  It  is  under  the  abiding 
influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  therefore  cannot  err  in  mat- 
ters of  faith.  Specially  appointed  persons  are  necessary  in  the 
service  of  the  Church,  and  they  form  a  threefold  order,  dis- 
tinct jure  divino  from  other  Christians,  of  Bishops,  Priests  and 
Deacons.  The  four  Patriarchs,  of  equal  dignity,  have  the 
highest  ranks  among  the  Bishops,  and  the  Bishops,  united  in 
a  General  Council,  represent  the  Church  and  infallibly  decide, 
under  tlie  guidance  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  all  matters  of  faith  and 
ecclesiastical  life.  All  ministers  of  Christ  must  be  called  and 
appointed  to  their  office,  and  are  consecrated  by  the  Sacra- 
ment of  Orders.  Bishops  must  be  unmarried,  and  priests  and 
deacons  must  not  contract  a  second  marriage.  To  all  priests 
in  common  belongs,  besides  the  preaching  of  the  Word,  the 
administration  of  the  six  sacrarnents^Baptism,  Confirmation, 
Penance,  Eucharist,  Matrimony,  Unction  of  the  sick.  The 
Bishops,  alone,  can  issue  the  Sacrament  of  Orders. 

Ecclesiastical  ceremonies  are  part  of  the  divine  service; 
most  of  them  have  apostolic  origin;  and  those  connected  with 
the  sacrament  must  not  be  omitted  by  the  priests  under  pain 
of  mortal  sin. 

The  estimated  number  belonging  to  the  Orthodox  Greek 


Origin  of  the  Greek  Church.  353 

Church,    as    taken    from    the    Encyclopedia  Britannica,    are 

known  and  classified  as  follows: 

Turkey 10,000,000 

Roumania 4,529,000 

Servia 1,345,000 

Montenegro 130,000 

Greece 1,310,000 

Austria 3,000,000 

Russia 58,000,000 

78,314,000 
To  these  may  be  added : 

Russian  Dissenters 1,051,000 

Armenians 3,000,000 

Nestorians 360,000 

Syrian  Jacobites 90,000 

Cops 121,000 

Abyssinians 1,200,000 

5,822,000 
United  Greeks  of  Austria  and  Poland.  . .     4,670,000 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE  BIBLE. 

IT  is  a  prevalent  belief  among  Protestants  that  Catholics 
are  opposed  to  the  Bible,  that  they  do  not  teach  it,  and 
that  the  priests  do  not  allow  their  members  to  read  it.  In 
this  the  Protestants  are  greatly  mistaken.  Not  only  do  Cath- 
olics teach  it  and  read  it,  but  it  is  sacred  and  holy  to  them. 
While  many  Protestants  speak  jestingly  of  the  Bible,  and 
even  attempt  to  belittle  its  divine  history,  the  Catholics  are 
taught  to  revere  its  pages  as  those  of  divine  inspiration 
speaking  to  the  conscience  of  men. 

But  some  one  asks,  Why  are  there  two  Bibles — the  Prot- 
estant and  Catholic?  And  which  contains  the  true  exposition 
of  the  Word  of  God?  If  this  questioner  will  refer  to  history, 
he  can  easily  satisfy  himself.  Turn  to  the  history  of  the 
Reformation,  and  you  will  find  that  until  this  particular  time 
there  was  no  such  thing  as  a  Protestant  Bible,  not  even  a 
Protestant  manuscript  of  the  Scriptures.  There  was  no 
legend,  and  there  were  no  records  of  any  kind  whatever  that 
were  Protestant.  In  fact,  the  Protestant  Bible  and  all  Protest 
Records  in  the  Protestant  Church  begin  with  the  Reformation, 
which  became  an  organized  force  about  1520.  Previous  tt) 
that  time  Christianity  was  under  one  head,  one  Church,  and 
that  was  the  Catholic  Church.  Therefore  the  Bible,  and  all 
the  Holy  Inspirations  emanating  from  God,  could  not  have 
been   otherwise   than   Catholic.     Had   Protestantism   existed 

354 


The  Bible.  355 

from  the  days  of  Clirist,  or  the  early  days  of  Christianity,  they 
might  lay  some  claim  to  a  different  line  of  Scripture,  but 
when  we  know  it  to  be  a  positive  fact  that  all  Christianity, 
and  all  divine  teaching's,  and  all  recorded  history  of  God,  of 
Christ,  and  his  Holy  Apostles,  were  under  the  sole  care  and 
protection  of  the  Catholic  Qiurch  for  the  first  fifteen  hundred 
years  of  its  existence,  then  it  becomes  a  self-evident  truth 
that  when  Protestantism  was  instituted  their  Bible  could  be 
none  other  than  a  Catholic  Bible,  or  a  translation  of  it.  As 
there  was — nor  could  there  be — no  other  source  from  whence 
a  Protestant  Bible  could  be  obtained,  it  follows  as  a  logical 
conclusion  that  its  origin  must  be  Catholic,  and  consequently 
could  not  be  superior  in  its  divine  teachings. 

And  now  it  is  our  province  to  even  go  further — not  that 
we  would  prejudice  any  one  against  the  Protestant  Bible — 
and  assert  the  fact  that,  if  there  is  a  difference  between  these 
Uvo  books,  we  must  turn  our  testimony  in  favor  of  the  one 
that  had  been  established,  that  had  been  in  existence  since  the 
first  century  of  Christianity,  and  which  had  borne  the  terrible 
persecution  of  Roman  despotism.  No  unprejudiced  mind  can 
say  that  a  copy  is  more  perfect  than  the  original,  and  when  we 
attempt  to  translate  from  one  language  to  another,  and  then 
condense  as  may  seem  best  to  the  translator,  we  must  ac 
kno^vledge  that  such  translation  cannot  be  perfect  or  infallible. 

But  such  is  the  condition  of  the  Protestant  Bible  of  to-day, 
and  while  we  were  brought  up  under  its  teachings  and  listened 
to  the  exposition  of  its  divine  truth,  and  while  to  us  it  is  the 
Bible  of  our  faith,  yet  when  we  search  into  the  realm  of  his 
toric  facts  we  are  convinced  that  our  Bible  is  a  translation 


356  Christian  Persecutions. 

from  the  original,  and  that  original  waS  the  Catholic  Bible. 
But,  after  all,  it  should  not  matter  to  us  how  we  obtained  this 
Bible,  only  that  we  have  the  proof  that  from  the  Christian 
Era  to  this  time  it  was  preserved  pure  in  its  original  instruc- 
tion. No  other  or  better  evidence  in  support  of  this  assertion 
need  be  adduced  than  the  evidence  of  the  constant  martyrdom 
of  Christian  Catholics  who,  with  unswerving  faith,  have 
guarded  it  with  their  lives. 

Once  a  statement  of  this  nature  would  have  startled  me, 
but  why  deny  what  is  true?  If  it  is  true  that  there  was  no 
Protestant  Bible  until  the  Reformation,  and  that  previous  to 
that  time  all  Christianity  was  Catholic,  and  that  every  form  of 
recorded  Scripture,  whether  written  in  Latin,  Greek,  Hebrew, 
or  any  tongue  whatever,  was  the  work  of  Catholics,  then  we 
cannot  deny  that  for  these  fifteen  hundred  years  before  the 
Reformation  there  could  be  only  this  one  source  from  which 
all  bibles  have  their  origin.  It  is,  therefore,  useless  for  any 
rehgious  denomination  to  place  its  hand  upon  the  Bible  of 
that  denomination  and  say  that  this  book  is  a  perfect  divine 
interpretation  of  God's  word,  and  that  all  other  bibles,  and 
especially  the  Catholic,  are  not  perfect.  Such  assertions  might 
be  accepted  by  the  congregation,  but  they  could  not  be  sub- 
stantiated by  the  facts  of  history. 

But  again,  you  say  Catholics  are  opposed  to  the  Bible, 
that  they  are  not  allowed  to  read  it  or  listen  to  its  reading  by 
others,  nor  to  allow  its  teachings  in  the  public  schools.  Now, 
some  of  these  statements  may  be  true,  but  the  first  assertion 
is  an  absolute  falsehood.  It  has  no  possible  foundation,  and 
there  is  no  possible  excuse  for  making  it.     If  there  is  any 


The  Bible.  '  357 

one  thing  in  the  CathoHc  faith  that  is  venerated  more  than 
anything  else,  it  is  the  Bible.  This  book  is  treasured  closest  to 
a  Catholic's  heart.  He  believes  it  to  be  the  Word  of  God, 
and  past  history  is  full  of  examples  of  martyrdom  where, 
rather  than  surrender  the  Bible  to  its  enemies,  Catholics 
would  sufifer  the  horrors  of  untold  torments,  cruelties,  per- 
secutions and  death.  As  proof  of  their  fidelity,  we  find  that 
even  to  this  day  Catholics  venerate  those  noble  martyrs  who 
suffered  death  for  refusing  to  surrender  their  sacred  treasures 
to  their  enemies.  Among  the  devout  Christians  who  gave 
their  lives  in  defense  of  God's  Holy  Word,  we  find  St.  Felix 
and  St.  Euplius,  The  Church  commemorates  the  24th  of 
October  for  St.  Felix  and  the  12th  of  August  for  St.  Euplius. 

The  martyrdom  of  St.  Felix,  we  find,  came  about  in  this 
way:  The  Roman  emperor  went  to  him  and  demanded  his 
copy  of  the  sacred  Scriptures;  St.  Felix  positively  refused  to 
comply,  and  when  he  was  informed  that  they  must  be  burned, 
he  replied:  "It  were  better  that  you  burn  me  than  that  you 
burn  the  Divine  Scriptures,  for  God  must  be  obeyed  rather 
than  man.''  St.  Felix  was  given  three  days  in  which  to  relent, 
but  still  remaining  firm  he  was  loaded  with  chains  and  thrown 
into  prison.  Again  and  again  was  he  taken  from  prison  and 
tortured,  but  would  ever  respond:  "I  have  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures in  my  possession,  but  I  will  not  give  them  up."  He  was 
finally  condemned  to  die  by  the  sword,  and  as  he  bowed  his 
head  for  the  fatal  blow  he  thanked  God  that  he  had  preserved 
the  Gospel. 

St.  Euplius  was  persecuted  with  even  greater  ferocity  to 
compel  him  to  surrender  his  Bible.    He  was  cruelly  tortured, 


358  Christian  Persecutions. 

but  throughout  his  terrible  agonies  he  thanked  the  Lord  for 
strength  to  resist  the  demands  of  his  persecutors,  and  when 
he  finally  failed  through  the  extremity  of  pain,  his  lips  still 
moved  in  an  attempt  to  offer  the  same  praise.  Failing  to  force 
him  to  surrender  the  precious  volume  by  these  cruelties,  St. 
Euplius  was  condemned  to  death  and  executed. 

We  could  enumerate  a  whole  line  of  martyrs  from  the 
days  of  Nero  to  the  close  of  the  Religious  Wars  in  1648. 
During  these  sixteen  hundred  years  the  whole  Catholic  faith 
was  based  upon  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  its  persecution  was 
owing  to  its  fidelity  to  Christianity,  its  resistance  to  oppres- 
sion, and  its  constancy  to  the  Word  of  God.  As  Christianity 
was  the  result  of  divine  instruction,  so,  too,  was  the  Bible  the 
written  Word  of  God,  which,  through  all  these  centuries  of 
torture  and  persecution,  was  maintained  in  all  its  purity  and 
transmitted  from  one  period  to  another. 

The  w'onderful  work  of  the  monks  who,  by  the  bigot,  are 
considered  a  useless  appendage  to  the  cause  of  Christianity, 
here  becomes  apparent.  While  we  may  be  digressing  some- 
wbat  from  the  subject,  yet  it  is  Init  simple  justice  to  mention 
the  real  connection  that  exists  between  the  Church  and  those 
zealous  Christians.  The  monk  was  a  priest  who  consecrated 
himself  wholly  to  the  work  of  the  Church.  His  life  was  a 
constant  study,  and  until  the  discovery  of  the  art  ol  printing 
in  the  fifteenth  century,  all  the  literature,  all  forms  of  educa- 
tion, every  rule  of  worship,  and  every  copy  of  the  Bible  had 
to  be  transcribed,  anid  in  this  work  the  faithful  monks  were 
constantly  employed.  In  these  days  of  rapid  printing  we  fail 
lo  realize  the  difiference  which  exists  between  then  and  now. 


The  Bible.  359 

We  do  not  realize  wliat  the  slow,  tedious  process  of  the  pen 
means  in  the  transcription  of  one  Bible  alone.     Witli  us  it  is 
not  a  question  of  time,  but  numbers.     Every  individual  can 
have  a  Bible,  while  in  the  past  it  was  the  work  of  years  to 
copy  a  full  volume  of  the  Scriptures,  and  yet  these  monks 
spent   their  lives   in   preparing  copies   of  the   Bible   for   the 
benefit  of  mankind;  therefore  it  would  be  more  to  our  honor 
if  we  praised  those  faithful  workers  for  their  life's  sacrifice, 
rather  than   cast   calumnies  upon    the   institution   that   gave 
them  birth.    Who  of  us,  in  all  the  congregations  of  the  Prot- 
estant churches,  would  to-day  sever  his  connection  with  the 
world  and  devote  his  life  to  the  transcription  of  the  Scrip- 
tures that  others  might  learn   from  these   sacred  teachings? 
If  God  should  say  to  us,  as  He  did  to  Abraham  before  the 
destruction  of  Sodom,  if  you  can  find  fifty  righteous  people 
I  will  not  destroy  it.     If  you  can  find  forty-five  righteous 
people!    Aye,  if  it  be  forty,  or  thirty,  or  even  five,  who  will 
give  up  the  pleasures  of  the  world  and  work,  as  these  monks 
did,  for  the  spreading  of  the  blessed  light  of  truth,  I  will  yet 
have  compassion.    Where  would  you  find  even  these  five  who 
would  sacrifice  their  lives?     But  those  men  loved  to  do  this 
work  for  Christianity,  this  labor   which  to  us  would  be  tire- 
some and  unremunerative.    They  were  happy  in  the  thought 
of  doing  something  for  the  salvation  of  man,  and  in  the  con- 
version of  nations  to  Christianity.     Then  let  us  honor  them 
for  their  piety,  their  tireless  labors,  their  Christian  zeal,  and 
not  cast  on  them  the  slurs  of  intoleration  and  unjust  criticism. 
Thus  we  find  that  Catholic  lives  are  full  to  overflowing 
with  love  and  aflfection  for  the  Word  of  God,  the  Holy  Scrip- 


360  Christian  Persecutions. 

tures,  the  Bible,  and  through  all  these  years  of  persecution 
they  have  defended  it  with  their  utmost  vigor,  with  their 
power  of  understanding,  and  with  their  lives,  and-  now  to  say 
that  they  are  opposed  to  the  Bible  is  an  insult  to  the  millions 
of  Christians  who  have  died  for  it.  Nothing  can  be  said  that 
is  more  unjust,  more  inconsistent,  or  more  dishonest  in  senti- 
ment, than  that  Catholics  are  opposed  to  the  Bible.  It  is 
true  that  they  may  be  opposed  to  the  Protestant  Bible,  and 
for  reasons  previously  explained,  but  on  the  other  side,  are 
you  not  opposed  to  the  Catholic  Bible  without  any  reason? 
I  ask  you  in  all  candor,  are  they  not  right  and  you  wrong? 
Is  not  the  Catholic  Bible  the  original  source  of  all  divine 
Scriptures?  And  is  not  the  Protestant  Bible  copied  from  it? 
My  friends,  there  can  be  but  one  answer,  and  that  is,  no 
matter  what  you  have  between  the  covers  of  your  Bible,  it 
must  either  be  a  copy,  or  the  translator  has  rendered  it  into 
anotlicr  language  according  to  his  understanding  of  the  orig- 
inal. While  we  know  that  King  James  I,  in  1G07,  ordered  a 
new  translation  of  the  Bible,  we  must  admit  that  it  was  done 
more  because  of  his  hate  of  everything  Catholic,  than  from  a 
desire  to  have  a  correct  version  of  it.  King  James  was  a 
strong  Protestant,  and  in  the  establishment  of  the  Church  of 
England,  the  Cai^holic  form  of  worship  was  overthrown  and 
consequently  the  Catholic  Bible  also  had  to  be  cast  aside. 
Previous  to  this  Henry  VIII  had  ordered  his  servile  follower, 
Bishop  Cranmer,  to  prepare  a  Bible  for  the  new  Church. 
This  version  was  known  as  Cranmer's  Bible,  and  was  the  first 
Bible  printed  by  authority  in  England,  and  publicly  used  in 
the  Churches. 


The  Bible.  361 

The  real  history  of  this  Bible,  however,  is  to  the  effect 
that  it  was  the  translation  of  William  Tyndall,  was  revised  by 
Miles  Coverdale,  and  then  given  to  Cranmer  for  examination 
and  approval,  who  added  a  preface  to  it,  whence  it  was  called 
"Cranmer's  Bible."  It  was  dedicated  to  Henry  VTII,  and  by 
his  authority  became  the  Scriptures  of  the  English  Church. 
But  imder  King  James  I  a  new  version  was  ordered,  and  fifty- 
four  learned  men  employed  to  prosecute  the  work  x)i  revising 
it.  From  death,  or  other  causes,  however,  seven  failed  to 
enter  upon  their  task,  but  the  remaining  forty-^seven  were 
occupied  for  nearly  four  years  in  the  work.  They  were 
divided  into  six  divisions,  and  different  portions  of  the  Bible 
were  assigned  to  each  division.  After  this  translation,  or 
revision,  the  other  Bibles  fell  into  disuse,  and  this  revision 
became  the  recognized  Bible  of  the  Protestant  Churches,  and 
is  to-day  the  Bible  of  Protestant  Christianity. 

Now,  according  to  the  history  of  Bibles,  the  history  of  the 
Reformation,  and  the  history  of  religion,  would  it  not  be  quite 
inconsistent  for  Catholics  to  recognize  the  Protestant  Biblt 
as  the  most  complete,  perfect,  and  directly  authorized  exposi- 
tion of  the  Word  of  God?  As  the  Protestant  Bible  came  into 
existence  during  the  period  of  Reformation,  during  the  Church 
revolt  of  Germany,  Switzerland,  Holland,  England,  and  other 
countries,  it  dates  its  origin  from  these  days  of  persecution  and 
intoleration.  Historians  inform  us  that  while  Martin  Luther 
was  under  a  grave  sentence,  and  in  hiding  from  an  execution 
of  law,  he  translated  the  Bible  into  the  German  language. 
Granting  that  he  wag  the  father  of  the  German  Bible,  the 
question  arises,  from  what  source  did  he  obtain  his  trans- 

(24.) 


362  Christian  Persecutions. 

lation?  Martin  Luther  had  been  a  devout  Catholic;  he  was 
educated  for  the  priesthood,  entered  a  monastery,  became  a 
renowned  monk,  was  called  to  Rome,  became  a  teacher  o\ 
theology  at  the  University  of  Wittenberg,  wrote  his  ninety- 
five  theses  in  opposition  to  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  finally, 
m  open  revolt,  publicly  burned  the  Papal  Bull  that  was  issued 
against  him,  and  thus  forever  severed  his  allegiance  to  the 
Catholic  Church.  Now,  in  the  face  of  this  record  of  Martin 
Luther,  where  could  he  have  obtained  the  information  which 
enabled  him  to  make  this  translation,  except  from  his  own 
Catholic  Latin  Bible?  The  history  of  his  life  while  a  Catholic 
tells  us  of  his  Latin  scholarship,  his  devotion  to  his  Bible, 
and  his  ability  to  teach  the  Word  of  God.  Not  for  a  moment 
would  I  seek  to  insinuate  that  Martin  Luther  did  not  use 
his  best  powers  and  his  best  judgment  in  the  translation,  for 
he  loved  his  Bible  and  its  divine  teachings;  but  I  Vv^ould  say, 
and  that  without  fear  of  the  possibility  of  contradiction,  that 
the  Bible  he  treasured  so  highly,  the  one  he  loved  so  well,  was 
none  other  than  the  Catholic  Bible,  which  embodied  and  al- 
ways had  embodied,  the  only  sacred  writings  that  were  pre- 
served through  these  fifteen  centuries  of  Christian  conflict. 

Now,  as  we  turn  to  the  Church  revolt  of  England,  we  find 
that  Henry  VIII,  the  malicious  persecuter  of  the  Pope  of 
Rome,  paved  the  way  for  the  Protestant  King  James  to  revise 
and  retranslate  our  present  Bible.  While  it  contains  the  Word 
of  God,  yet,  judging  the  work  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
selfishness  of  human  nature,  this  translation  from  Catholic 
authority,  we  doubt  not,  is  more  in  accordance  with  the  spirit 
of  the  Reformation  than  it  is  the  exact  interpretation  of  Cath- 
olic authority. 


The  Bible.  363 

To  sanction  this  version  of  the  translation  and  its  revision, 
and  to  sustain  the  position  held  by  the  Catholics  that  King 
James'  Bible  is  not  a  perfect  translation,  we  must  remember 
that  during  the  days  of  Henry  VIII,  Edward  VI,  Elizabeth, 
and  James  I,  nothing  would  be  tolerated  that  was  strictly 
Catholic.  The  acts  of  these  rulers  were  ever  those  of  the 
crudest  persecution.  Their  hatred  toward  the  Pope  of  Rome 
was  a  bitter  hatred,  and  their  opposition  was  always  intoler- 
ant and  unchristian. 

And  as  we  view  these  conditions,  these  inharmonious  rela- 
tions between  Protestantism  and  Catholicism,  must  it  not 
be  accounted  almost  a  miracle  if  these  translations  of  King 
James  should  contain  such  purity  of  thought  and  such  perfect 
conception  of  the  divine  truths  of  God,  as  the  Catholic  Bible? 

And  in  closing  this  Bible  controversy,  let  us  assume  that 
at  the  time  of  translation  the  following  conditions  existed:  that 
the  fifty-four  learned  m€n  selected  were  all  anxious  to  come  as 
near  to  the  right  as  was  possible  under  the  circumstances ;  that, 
while  they  were  prejudiced  against  the  Church  of  Rome,  they 
yet  felt  that  they  must  accept  the  Bible  of  that  Church  as  the 
only  source  of  information  to  make  their  own  translations; 
that  they  realized,  while  preparing  a  Protestant  Bible,  that 
they  were  laboring  in  the  presence  of  God  and  were  handling 
God's  divine  instructions,  and  for  fear  of  blaspheming  His 
Holy  Name,  they  followed  the  dictates  of  their  conscience,  and 
instead  of  producing  a  distorted  version  of  divine  truth  they 
were  impressed  with  the  great  importance  of  their  work  and 
deeply  felt  their  sacred  obligations,  and  made  an  unprejudiced 
translation  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  did  they  not,  in  truth,  but 
copy  the  truths  of  others? 


364  Christian  Persecutions. 

While,  as  Protestants,  we  bless  the  work  of  the  servants 
of  King  James,  we  yet  must  remember  that  our  Protestant 
Bible  cannot  be  superior  to  that  of  our  neighbors,  neither  have 
we  any  right  to  censure  them  for  tenaciously  holding  to  their 
own,  when  all  evidence  shows  that  theirs  is  the  original,  and 
has  been  jealously  guarded  and  defended  against  all  assaults 
for  nearly  nineteen  hundred  years. 

As  this  applies  to  the  objections  of  the  Catholics  to  the 
Bible  in  general  use,  so,  too,  does  it  explain  their  objections 
to  its  use  in  the  public  schools.  And  now,  if  we  should 
reverse  the  question,  we  would  find  that  if  the  Catholic  Bible 
were  used  in  our  schools  many  Protestants  would  raise  the 
same  objection;  therefore,  if  we  condemn  their  objections  we 
must,  in  return,  condemn  our  own,  for  if  we  would  not  use 
their  Bible  we  cannot  expect  them  to  use  ours,  though  it  is 
positively  proven  that  they  have  the  original  and  we  a  copy. 

It  is  not  my  purpose,  however,  to  generate  prejudice 
against  the  Protestant  Bible,  but  rather  to  drive  out  the 
absurd  notion  that  we  have  a  monopoly  of  Sacred  Scriptures, 
when  for  over  fifteen  hundred  years  it  was  Catholic  property, 
and  became  Protestant  only  when  Martin  Luther,  John  Cal- 
vin, Ulric  Zwingli,  and  Henry  VIII,  rebelled  against  the 
Church  of  Rome.  It  is  this,  and  only  this,  I  would  raise  my 
voice  against.  When  you  say  that  Catholics  are  opposed  to 
the  Bible  please  explain  when,  how,  and  where.  They  are 
entitled  to  a  full  exposition  of  how  Bibles  emanated,  and  who 
preserved  these  divine  writings  through  all  the  trials  and 
persecutions  of  Christianity.  If  they  fought  for  them  during 
those  centuries  of  idolatrous  persecutions,  and  lay  down  their 


The  Bible.  365 

lives  in  holy  martyrdom  to  preserve  them,  we  should  at  least 
honor  their  faithful  dead,  honor  the  self-sacrificing  monk  who 
devoted  his  life  to  the  spreading  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 

Now,  as  we  stand  face  to  face  with  these  historic  realities, 
let  us  become  more  consistent  in  our  claims  and  denuncia- 
tions, more  tolerant  for  the  rights  of  others,  and  more  Chris- 
tian in  our  own  existence. 

The  question  often  arises  among  Protestants,  Why  are 
Catholics  not  urged  to  read  the  Bible  more,  to  diligently 
search  the  Scriptures,  and  not  depend  upon  their  priests,  or 
teachers,  for  the  interpretation  of  these  Divine  Truths?  Often 
Protestant  ministers  are  loud  in  their  denunciation  of  this 
priestly  power  in  teaching  their  form  of  worship  and  the  prin- 
ciples of  faith.  Once  I  listened  to  an  eloquent  divine,  who 
declared  that  the  main  objection  he  had  to  the  Catholic  reli- 
gion, was  that  the  priests  did  not  allow  their  congregation  to 
independently  study  the  Bible,  that  the  priest's  interpretation 
must  be  regarded  as  the  true  exposition  of  faith,  and  no  good 
Catholic  would  question  it.  This  divine  objected  to  these 
methods  as  an  arbitrary  encroachment  upon  individual  rights. 
He  declared  that  every  individual  should  read  the  Bible  for 
himself,  to  diligently  search  for  truth,  to  be  independent,  to 
be  a  free  moral  agent,  to  be  his  own  judge,  and  not  to  be 
governed  by  the  decisions  of  others.  He  very  eloquently 
described  that  this  was  not  religion,  it  was  only  making  a 
machine  of  the  poor  Catholic,  who  was  made  to  follow  a  line 
of  worship  without  comprehending  either  the  light  of  faith 
or  the  blessedness  of  truth.  The  priest  was  the  rehgion,  and 
to  obey  and  read  his  instructions  was  to  obey  God  and  his 
commandments. 


366  Christian  Persecutions. 

Without  doubt  every  Protestant  in  that  church  believed 
those  assertions,  and  in  his  mind  pitied  the  poor  CathoHc  for 
his  rehgious  slavery.  As  explained  it  was  quite  convincing, 
but  when  analyzed  according  to  the  facts  as  they  really  exist, 
we  need  not  spend  our  time  in  pitying.  If  we  study  this 
so-called  Catholic  slavery,  we  will  find  conditions  far  more 
favorable  to  a  true  exposition  of  religion  than  these  represen- 
tations indicate.  In  fact,  this  minister,  in  his  interpretation  of 
Catholic  teaching,  denied  to  the  priest  the  very  same  power 
he  exercised  himself.  With  him  it  was  wrong  for  the  Catholic 
Church  to  say  to  its  members  that  this  is  the  instruction  of 
Christ,  when  he,  in  the  interpretation  of  his  own  text,  declared 
that  this  is  the  correct  version  of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  He 
did  not  seem  to  understand  that  he  was  occupying  the  very 
place  he  condemned.  He  instructed  his  congregation  that  to 
understand  divine  truth  we  must  read  it  as  explained  by  him, 
and  not  as  explained  by  others.  His  doctrine  was  infallible, 
and  while  he  urged  his  members  to  read  the  Bible,  to  study 
it  morning,  noon,  ancj  eventide,  yet  they  must  form  no  other 
conclusion,  or  interpretation,  than  his  own  exposition.  It  is 
but  another  case  of,  I  am  right  and  you  are  wrong.  According 
to  his  instruction,  we  are  supposed  to  read  and  study  the 
Bible  free  and  independent  of  any  human  agency,  but  in  this 
study  we  must  not  fall  into  the  errors  of  other  denominations. 
We  must  not  read  it  through  a  Methodist  glass,  or  a  Con- 
gregationalist,  or  Universalist,  but  as  he  sees  it.  This  is 
where  every  Protestant  teacher  stands.  He  would  have  you 
believe  that  it  is  your  duty  to  study  the  Bible,  to  depend  upon 
yourself,  and  from  its  teachings  become  a  Christian  of  some 


The  Bible.  367 

particular  denomination.  Now,  this  is  an  impossibility.  No 
man  can  study  the  Bible  and  discover,  of  his  own  knowl- 
edge, any  particular  creed.  If  he  is  ever  to  become  a 
Baptist,  it  must  be  through  a  Baptist  education.  If  he  is  to 
become  a  Catholic,  it  must  be  through  Catholic  teaching. 
The  Word  of  God  in  no  place  specifies  a  particular  creed.  It 
teaches  repentance,  love,  charity,  and  salvation.  It  declares 
that  Christ  was  crucified,  not  for  his  own  benefit,  but  for  the 
redemption  of  man  from  sin.  It  authorized  the  Apostles,  the 
disciples,  and  the  priests  of  God,  to  go  forth  and  teach  the 
Word  of  God.  The  injunction  is  ever  to  teach,  teach,  teach. 
Religion  involves  the  education  of  the  soul,  and  in  every  form 
of  education  there  must  be  a  teacher.  The  child  can  never 
learn  to  read  without  instruction.  Without  this  religious 
instruction  you  will  grow  to  manhood  im  the  darkness  of 
Deism,' Atheism,  and  idolatry.  Place  the  Bible  in  the  hands 
of  a  heathen  and  expect  him  to  teach  himself  how  to  follow 
in  the  steps  of  the  true  Christian,  and  you  will  expect  impossi- 
bilities. No  heathen,  no  unchristian  being,  was  qver  converted 
to  a  faith  in  Christ  without  instruction.  That  instruction  may 
be  obtained  through  explanation  given  in  religious  books, 
pamphlets,  or  other  lessons,  but  almost  invariably  such  con- 
version must  be  by  the  word  of  mouth.  While  the  Bible  con- 
tains the  inspired  writings  of  divine  instruction,  yet  the  true 
interpretation  must  come  from  the  Church.  All  churches 
provide  priests,  or  ministers,  to  properly  expound  their  doc- 
trine and  faith.  In  no  other  way  can  this  be  accomplished. 
Without  these  instructors  the  Bible  becomes  a  barren  mediutn 
of  Christian  Grace. 


368  Christian  Persecutions. 

Select  ten  men  without  any  particular  religious  convic- 
tions, and  give  to  each  a  Bible  and  tell  him  to  search  diligently, 
to  gain  wisdom  through  his  own  efforts,  and  no  two  will  agree 
in  the  exact  comprehension  of  these  truths.  Now,  do  not 
mistake  my  meaning.  I  do  not  wish  to  imply  that  the  Bible 
is  contradictory,  but  that  if  this  study  is  left  to  your  own  wis- 
dom, there  will  arise  a  principle  of  antagonism,  the  evil  ten- 
dency of  all  natures  to  doubt,  deny,  seek  to  evade,  and  to 
trample  upon  yo.vir  own  conscience. 

The  author  is  personally  acquainted  with  an  individual 
who  for  years  was  an  ardent  and  devout  Christian,  but  by 
some  means  commenced  to  study  the  Bible  and  seek  con- 
troversy. He  soon  began  to  rely  upon  his  own  wisdom,  and 
to-day  this  man  believes  in  no  Infinity,  no  Bible,  no  soul,  and 
no  hereafter.  His  mind  is  filled  with  that  self-sufficiency  which 
antagonizes  and  destroys  every  Christian  thought  of  God,  of 
Christ,  or  His  Holy  Word,  and  while,  as  the  world  sees  him, 
he  is  an  honest,  upright  citizen,  yet  spiritually  he  would  render 
nugatory  the  ^beautiful  thought  of  immortality,  and,  like  the 
plant,  he  would  grow,  flourish,  blossom,  and  die,  without  a 
divine  origin,  a  divine  purpose,  or  a  divine  control. 

It  is  to  prevent  these  occurrences  that  Catholics  are  taught 
to  study  and  heed  the  interpretation  of  the  Church,  to  follow 
its  wisdom,  and  to  obey  its  discipline.  Protestants  say,  read 
your  Bible  diligently,  study  for  yourself,  obey  its  teachings, 
while  Catholics  say,  study  the  teachings  of  those  who  have 
devoted  their  lives  to  its  service,  obey  the  Church,  listen  to 
the  explanation  of  your  teachers,  do  these  things  and  you 
cannot  go  astray.    The  Protestant  professe.«  to  believe  that  he 


The  Bible.  369 

derives  his  understanding  from  the  Bible,  that  he  is  taught 
by  it,  that  it  points  out  his  creed,  that  it  is  his  spiritual  in- 
structor, his  adviser,  and  his  source  of  inspiration.     This   I 
must  positively  deny.    The  fact  is,  he  is  taught  by  his  Church, 
his  ministers,  by  religious  books,  his  parents,  or  some  other 
means  of  instruction.     He  must  be  instructed  in  some  way, 
otherwise,  like  the  child,  he  can  never  comprehend  the  sublime 
truths  of  God.    The  Catholic  does  not  profess  to  possess  these 
gifts  of  self-inspiration,  the  power  of  individual  wisdom,  or  the 
power    of    the    Bible    to    be    self-explanatory    regarding    the 
wisdom  of  God.    While  he  loves  the  Bible  and  venerates  it  as 
the  sacred  truth  of  God,  yet  he  does  not  profess  to  believe  that 
it  was  meant  to  be  a  teacher,  or  that  it  ever  has  been  a  teacher. 
He  believes  that  God  simply  expressed  the  fact  of  existence 
without  the  demonstration  of  why  he  so  organized  this  exist- 
ence. He  believes  that  the  world  was  evangelized  by  preachers 
and  not  by  Scripture-reading,  or  by  each  individual  reading 
the  Bible  by  himself;  that  no  one  really  learns  his  religion  from 
the  Bible;  that,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  it  comes  to  him  through 
some  form  of  education;  that  he  goes  to  the  Bible  to  prove 
this  education,  to  prove  his  belief,  and  to  sustain  the  truth 
that  has  been  revealed  unto  him.    It  is  this  principle  of  correct 
understanding,  therefore,  that  is  imposed  more  firmly  on  Cath- 
olics than  on  Protestants.    While  the  one  is  granted  free  lati- 
tude in  the  acquirement  of  self-wisdom,  the  other  is  based 
upon  the  necessity  of  a  direct  course  of  education.     To  be  a 
Catholic,  is  to  believe  in  the  Bible,  the  Church,  and  those  who 
have  consecrated  their  lives  to  the  study  of  divine  truths. 
This,  in  reality,  is  no  more  than  is  required  of  any  member  of 


370  Christian  Persecutions. 

a  Protestant  Church.  They  must  believe  in  the  Bible,  the 
creed  of  the  Church,  and  the  education  of  its  ministers.  Then 
why  open  the  door  of  infidelity  by  inviting  each  individual  to 
read  for  himself,  to  interpret  for  himself,  and  to  educate  him- 
self? Therefore  I  will  say  in  defense  of  the  charge  made  by 
Protestants  that  Catholics  do  not  read  the  Bible,  that  it  is, 
"not  that  I  love  Caesar  less,  but  that  I  love  Rome  more."  Not 
that  I  read  the  Bible  less,  but  that  I  listen  to  its  teachings 
more. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE  TEMPORAL  POWERS   OF  THE  POPES. 

|\  yi  UCH  has  been  said  throughout  the  entire  civiHzed  world 
^  '  *  in  regard  to  the  Temporal  Powers  of  the  Pope,  espe- 
cially what  has  been  of  personal  interest  to  him  in  the  last 
fifty  years.  While  the  discussion  of  the  Pope's  powers  in  the 
past  may  not  be  of  great  interest  to  the  reader,  yet  that  which 
affects  this  generation  is  of  vital  importance  and  worthy  of 
narration.  The  rise  and  fall  of  the  Papal  authority  covers 
a  period  of  more  than  one  thousand  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years,  and  would  fill  a  volume.  This  history,  however,  will 
cover  but  little  more  than  its  beginning  and  its  ending. 

At  one  time  the  Church  of  Rome  exercised  a  species  of 
sovereign  authority  over  nearly  all  of  Europe,  parts  of  Asia, 
Africa,  and  its  conquered  provinces  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 
Up  to  the  time  of  Martin  Luther  the  religion  of  all  Christen- 
dom was  of  the  Catholic  faith.  This  Church,  alone,  had 
fought  the  pagan  world  from  the  days  of  Nero.  Its  religion 
had  subdued  the  powerful  tribes  of  France  and  Germany.  It 
had  followed  the  conquest  of  England.  It  had  fought,  won 
and  lost  in  Persia,  Egypt,  and  Turkey.  It  was  prominent 
in  the  Crusades  in  their  long  years  of  contest.  It  had  every- 
where sought  to  spread  the  gospel  of  Christ  and  convert  man- 
kind to  Christianity.  It  was  the  instrument  of  God  to  turn  the 
nations  of  the  earth  from  idolatry  to  the  worship  of  the  living 
faith.    Men  were  found,  through  God's  Providence,  fitted  for 

371 


372  Christian  Persecutions. 

the  purpose  of  defending-  and  extending  the  Church  of  the 
Apostle  Peter, 

From  that  time  to  this  it  has  been  one  continual  conflict 
over  idolatry,  sophistry  and  isms.  While  the  temporal  power 
of  the  head  of  the  Church  has  been  slowly  slipping  away, 
yet  its  intelligence  has  reached  deeper  and  deeper  into  the 
hearts  of  its  people,  until  now  it  stands  as  a  mighty  tree 
spreading  its  influence  over  the  entire  earth. 

According  to  history,  we  find  that  the  beginning  of  the 
Temporal  Power  of  the  Popes  dates  from  the  year  754,  under 
Pope  Stephen  II.  In  order  to  thoroughly  understand  from 
whence  this  power  was  obtained,  we  must  go  back  about  two 
hundred  years  and  review  the  history  of  Italy  and  its  fortunes. 

In  the  year  568  there  appeared  on  the  plains  of  Italy  an 
army  of  men  called  Lombards,  from  the  region  of  the  Upper 
Danube.  These  men  were  one  of  the  most  powerful  German 
tribes,  who  will  now  become  known  in  Italian  history.  The 
name  Lombard  was  given  them  because  of  their  long  beards 
and  powerful  expression  of  the  face.  No  intelligence  had 
reached  the  people  of  Italy  of  this  invasion  until  they  crossed 
the  Alps  and  were  in  actual  possession  of  territory.  After 
years  of  desperate  fighting  they  succeeded  in  conquering  the 
Italian  Peninsula,  excepting  some  of  the  large  cities  and 
small  portions  of  territory.  They  immediately  set  up  a  power- 
ful empire,  which  lasted  almost  exactly  two  hundred  years. 
These  people  were  intelligent,  industrious,  and  instituted 
many  improvements.  They  built  up  a  system  of  educa- 
tion, devoted  themselves  to  music,  the  arts,  and  various 
pagan  achievements.    They  occupied  that  part  of  Italy  called 


The  Temporal  Powers  of  the  Popes.  373 

Lombardy,  and  being  of  light  skin  and  hair,  their  descendants 
are  still  known  by  these  fair  features,  which  distinguish  them 
from  the  inhabitants  of  Southern  Italy. 

Let  us  now  drop  the  two  hundred  years  and  return  to  the 
time  of  Pope  Stephen  II.  The  Lombards  were  becoming 
troublesome.  They  had  gone  beyond  the  boundaries  of  their 
provinces  and  conquest  seemed  to  occupy  them  more  than 
their  own  possessions.  The  Pope,  becoming  alarmed  lest 
their  encroachments  would  reach  Rome,  besought  Pepin,  the 
king  of  the  Franks,  to  come  to  his  assistance.  The  king  being 
under  obligations  to  the  Pope  for  past  favors  responded  im- 
mediately, crossed  the  Alps  with  a  large  army  and  gave  the 
Lombards  battle.  After  a  series  of  successful  battles  the  king 
succeeded  in  driving  them  from  their  recently  acquired  ter- 
ritory, and  in  the  settlement  of  peace,  took  a  large  part  of  their 
possessions.  Not  content  with  his  services  to  the  Pope,  the 
king  conceived  the  idea  of  donating  these  captured  provinces 
to  his  benefactor,  thus  showing  his  twofold  gratitude.  The 
gratitude  of  the  king  was  on  account  of  the  assistance  ren- 
dered by  the  Pope  in  making  him  king  of  France. 

We  have  now  given  a  short  narrative  of  the  beginning  of  the 
temporal  power  of  the  Popes.  It  was  not  considered  at  the 
time  the  gift  was  made  that  the  Pope  should  exercise  absolute 
sovereignty,  but  it  was  given  rather  as  a  source  of  revenue  to 
the  Church  and  to  maintain  an  ally,  should  future  protection 
be  required.  But  as  time  passed  ori  these  transferred  lands 
were  regarded  as  belonging  to  the  Pope  and  he  the  temporal 
ruler,  with  all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  any  prince.  The 
king  was  to  remain  as  the  guardian  and  protector  of  this  boun- 


374  Christian  Persecutions. 

tiful  gift,  and  in  times  of  danger  was  to  come,  as  he  had  done 
before,  to  the  rescue.  By  this  gift  we  now  come  to  understand 
how  the  name,  Papal'  States,  was  instituted,  and  which  re- 
mained under  the  temporal  power  of  the  Popes  up  to  a  recent 
date. 

In  the  year  7G8  Pepin  died  and  his  kingdom  was  divided 
between  his  two  sons,  Carloman  and  Charles.  Within  three 
years  Carloman  died  and  by  a  free  vote  of  the  Franks  the  en- 
tire kingdom  was  conferred  upon  Charles,  who  from  this  time 
on  is  known  in  history  as  "Charles  the  Great,"  or  better  still, 
as  Charlemagne.  It  would,  indeed,  be  interesting  to  follow 
this  wonderful  warrior,  statesman  and  Christian,  but  space  for- 
bids more  than  a  few  remarks.  We  find  him  engaged  for 
more  than  thirty  years  in  an  endeavor  to  subdue  the  pagan 
Saxons,  one  of  the  German  tribes,  and  establishing  Christian- 
ity. The  Saxons  finally  yielded  to  the  efiforts  of  Charlemagne 
to  overthrow  paganism,  and  in  their  submission  they  ardently 
embraced  Christianity  and  accepted  him  as  their  sovereign. 

One  of  his  first  undertakings  was  to  conduct  a  campaign 
against  the  Lombards  and  wrest  from  them  the  entire  country, 
and  with  this  new  acquisition  of  territory,  confirm  the  donation 
of  his  father,  Pepin.  The  new  Pope,  Leo  III,  was  thankful 
for  this  kind  remembrance,  and  in  the  year  800  an  event  of 
apparently  small  magnitude,  but  far-reaching  in  its  effect,  was 
enacted,  which  in  later  years  developed  the  great  countries  of 
France,  Germany  and  Italy.  At  Rome  there  was  a  growing 
hostility  against  the  Pope,  arising  from  disputes  between  the 
Churches  of  the  East  and  those  of  the  West.  The  Eastern 
emperors  had  devised  certain  changes  and  reforms  in  their 


The  Temporal  Powers  of  the  Popes.  375 

worship,  and  demanded  that  the  Western,  or  Roman,  Church 
should  adopt  them.  This  dispute  reached  Rome,  and  its  in- 
habitants were  being  divided.  The  Roman  bishops  were  most 
determined  in  their  opposition  to  the  Eastern  emperors,  and 
denounced  them  as  heretics  and  schismatics.  This  action  of 
the  bishops  precipitated  trouble,  and  civil  war  was  about  to 
burst  upon  Rome,  when  the  Pope  called  upon  Charlemagne 
to  aid  him  in  subduing  his  refractory  people  and  stopping  the 
contention.  The  king  soon  appeared  in  person  with  an  armed 
force  and,  entering  Rome,  seized  the  disturbers  of  the  peace 
of  the  Church  and  punished  them.  The  Pope  was  very  grate- 
ful for  the  prompt  services  of  the  Prankish  king  and  soon  after 
crowned  him  emperor  of  all  the  Romans,  and  the  rightful  and 
consecrated  successor  of  Caesar  Augustus  and  Constantine. 

To  understand  the  object  of  the  Pope  in  thus  conferring 
this  great  title  upon  Charlemagne,  we  must  note  the  causes 
and  the  objects  to  be  attained.  We  have  used  the  term  East- 
ern and  Western  divisions  of  the  Church  of  Rome.  The  East- 
ern Churches  were  ruled  by  the  Byzantine  rulers,  and  com- 
prised the  countries  of  Russia,  Greece,  Moldavia  and  Wal- 
lachia,  and  while  they  had  been  established  by  the  same  Chris- 
tian authority  as  the  Western,  yet  they  were  inclined  to  rebel 
as  to  the  matter  of  the  government  of  their  worship  and  the  or- 
der of  its  creed.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  Greek  Church, 
which,  in  the  ninth  century,  became  independent  and  so  re- 
mained under  the  Byzantine  Empire  until  the  capture  of  Con- 
stantinople in  1453.  In  a  preceding  chapter  we  give  the 
history  of  the  Greek  Church,  its  origin,  numbers,  how  con 
ducted  and  where  located. 


376  Christian  Persecutions. 

To  continue  the  causes  that  led  the  Pope  to  bestow  the 
crown  of  emperor  upon  the  king  of  the  Franks,  we  must  note 
that  at  this  time  the  Empress  Irene,  of  the  Byzantine  empire, 
committed  the  terrible  crime  of  deposing  her  son,  Constantine 
VI,  and  putting  out  his  eyes,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  placing 
herself  upon  the  throne.  The  Italians  now  claimed  that  the 
Eastern  throne  was  vacant,  as  they  contended  that  no  woman 
could  wear  the  crown  of  the  Caesars.  As  the  Church  was  in 
rebellion,  the  Italians  demanded  that  the  Pope  declare  the 
throne  .vacant  and  appoint  some  true  Christian  to  the  position, 
and  thus  subdue  the  feeling  of  insubordination  to  the  Church 
and  the  Pope  of  Rome.  Accordingly,  the  Pope  looked 
around  for  some  strong  Western  prince  who  could  govern  the 
whole  of  the  Roman  empire,  and  thus  unite  the  two  divisions 
of  the  Church  into  one  harmonious  whole.  * 

Accordingly,  as  Charlemagne  was  participating  in  the  re- 
ligious festivities  on  Christmas  Day  in  the  Cathedral  of  St. 
Peter  at  Rome,  as  he  knelt  in  his  devotions  and  was  wholly  un- 
conscious of  this  friend's  intentions,  the  Pope  approached  him 
and  placed  a  gold  crown  upon  his  head  and  proclaimed  him 
Emperor  of  all  the  Romans.  But  no  good  resulted  from  this 
movement.  The  Eastern  branch  of  the  Church  paid  no  at- 
tention to  the  newly-proclaimed  emperor.  They  continued 
their  line  of  administration  just  as  though  nothing  had  hap- 
pened in  Rome  to  demand  obedience.  The  Roman  empire 
and  the  Church  can  now  be  distinctly  divided  into  the  two 
divisions — the  Eastern  and  Western  divisions  of  the  same 
empire. 

While  this  new  emperor  enjoyed  the  imperial  dignity  only 


The  Temporal  Powers  of  the  Popes.  377 

fourteen  years,  dying  in  814,  yet  he  made  for  himself,  his 
country  and  his  Church  a  great  name.  Being  a  wise  states- 
man, he  established  schools,  collected  libraries,  reformed  the 
laws,  introduced  industries,  endowed  the  schools  of  art,  en- 
couraged science,  and  most  bountifully  provided  for  the  main- 
tenance of  the  Church,  its  missions  and  its  clergy.  Of  this 
great  king  it  is  said:  "He  laid  the  foundation  of  all  that  is 
noble,  and  beautiful,  and  useful  in  the  history  of  the  Middle 
Ages." 

After  his  death  his  mighty  empire  crumbled  to  pieces  and 
there  followed  a  troublesome  period  of  wrangling,  war  and 
bloodshed.  The  empire  was  divided  among  his  three  grand- 
children— Charles,  Lewis  and  Lothair.  France  was  given  to 
Charles,  Germany  to  Lewis,  and  Italy  and  the  valley  of  the 
Rhone,  with  a  portion  of  the  Rhine,  was  given  to  Lothair,  who 
also  Inherited  the  imperial  title. 

About  the  middle  of  the  tenth  century  we  find  that  Otto  the 
Great,  Emperor  of  Germany,  hke  a  second  Charlemagne,  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  restoring  the  whole  Christian  world  to  one 
grand  world-empire.  In  962,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years  after  the  coronation,  at  Rome,  of  Charlemagne  as  em- 
peror, Otto,  by  the  same  Papal  authority,  and  at  the  same 
place,  was  crowned  Emperor  of  all  the  Romans.  For  a  gener- 
ation this  title  had  not  been  borne  by  any  one.  The  newly- 
acquired  power  of  Otto  was  used  to  advance  his  ambition. 
He  would  unite  the  whole  Roman  empire.  He  was  its  head, 
its  ruler,  and  now  would  exercise  his  authority.  This  ambi- 
tion to  exercise  control  over  the  temporal  affairs  of  the  em- 
pire, soon  caused  a  rupture  with  the  powers  of  Rome.     Two 

(25) 


378  Christian  Persecutions. 

distinct  claims  were  coming  into  conflict.  The  Emperor  de- 
clared his  right  to  proceed  in  the  management  of  governm.ent 
as  best  suited  his  desires,  leaving  the  spiritual  teachings  to  the 
Church.  , 

Christendom  was  being  divided  into  two  hostile  divisions — 
the  supporters  of  the  imperial  authority  and  the  supporters  of 
the  Pope.  There  were  three  different  theories  of  the  proper 
relations  of  the  Pope  and  Emperor  to  each  other. 

The  first  theory  declared  that  both  Pope  and  Emperor  were 
divinely  commissioned  by  God  to  govern  the  destiny  of  the 
souls  and  the  bodies  of  men.  The  first  to  teach  repentance, 
immortality  of  the  soul  and  to  govern  the  worship  of  faith. 
The  second  to  be  in  actual  control  of  the  temporal  power  of 
government,  but  each  to  be  on  the  same  divine  basis,  or  level, 
to  work  in  harmony,  maintain  order  and  to  advance  and  pro- 
tect the  Church. 

The  second  theory  placed  the  Imperial  party,  its  Emperor, 
as  superior  to  the  Pope.  That  all  powers  of  government  were 
vested  in  the  Emperor,  independent  of  the  Pope.  That  the 
duty  of  the  Pope  was  to  attend  to  the  affairs  of  the  Church. 

The  third  theory  was  the  opposite  of  the  second.  That  the 
temporal  powers  of  the  Emperor  must  at  all  times  be  under 
the  control  of  the  Pope. 

Thus  we  find  that  in  but  little  more  than  two  hundred  years 
from  the  time  the  Pope  first  practically  obtained  temporal 
power,  it  is  being  disputed  by  the  growing  authority  of  kings 
and  princes. 

These  conflicts  are  constantly  occurring  and  producing 
hostilities,  which  are  often  detrimental  to  the  cause  of  Chris- 


The  Temporal  Powers  of  the  Popes.  379 

tianity.  The  most  interesting  and  instructive  chapter  in 
mediaeval  history,  after  the  tenth  century,  is  the  almost  con- 
stant struggle  between  these  two  contending  forces — Pope  and 
Emperor — for  the  maintenance  of  the  powers  of  temporal  gov- 
ernment. 

One  of  the  greatest  promoters  of  the  Papal  fortunes  was 
Pope  Gregory  VII,  better  known  in  history  as  Hildebrand. 
This  Pope  was  one  of  the  most  noted  characters  of  the  Mid- 
dle Ages.  In  1049  he  was  called  to  Rome  to  become  the  ad- 
viser of  the  Church  and  to  assist  in  shaping  its  duties.  Hilde- 
brand was  called  from  the  cloisters  of  a  French  monastery,  and 
was  a  man  of  deep  learning,  great  force  of  character,  and  did 
much  to  establish  the  universal  spiritual  and  temporal  sover- 
eignty of  the  Holy  See. 

In  1073  Hildebrand  was  elected  Pope  Gregory  VII,  and 
immediately  on  'his  accession  to  power  set  about  establishing 
two  reforms — the  enforcement  of  celibacy,  and  the  suppression 
of  simony.  The  first  was  to  impress  upon  the  clergy  that  their 
constant  duty  was  to  the  Church,  and  in  the  acceptance  of  this 
important  position  they  must  sacrifice  the  attachments  of 
home,  friends  and  country,  and  thus  devote  all  their  energies 
to  the  advancement  of  the  worship  of  God  and  the  welfare  of 
the  Church.  The  second  reform  refers  to  the  practice  of  Church 
positions  being  bestowed  upon  the  friends  of  the  princes  and 
barons.  This  was  conducted  much  as  is  the  spoils  system  of 
the  political  parties  of  to-day.  A  prince,  baron,  lord,  chief, 
or  other  power,  in  bestowing  rewards,  often  sold  or  bestowed 
these  positions  upon  those  unworthy  of  them.  To  the  Church 
this  became  an  evil,  as  court  favoritism  was  too  often  used  to 


380  Christian  Persecutions. 

repay  a  debt  of  gratitude,  or  for  the  pleasure  of  friendship. 
In  this  way  many  were  selected  without  regard  to  their  fitness 
or  ability,  and  the  Church  was  made  to  suffer  by  so  doing. 
The  Pope  now  saw  the  great  danger,  and  determined  to 
remedy  the  evil  by  denying  the  right  to  bestow  such  gifts. 
The  practice  had  gone  so  far  that  princes  sought  to  secure 
revenue  by  actual  sale  or  barter.  The  name,  simony,  was  ap- 
plied to  this  practice  of  giving,  or  selling,  an  ofifice  in  the 
Church,  the  ofTense  coming  from  Simon  Magus,  who  offered 
Paul  money  for  the  gift  of  working  miracles. 

Pope  Gregory  was  so  determined  to  destroy  this  evil  that 
he  issued  a  decree  forbidding  this  debasement  of  privilege,  and 
commanded  all  ecclesiastics  to  refuse  to  do  homage  to  the 
temporal  lords  who  violated  this  decree.  In  the  investiture  of 
Church  authority,  Gregory  decreed  that  the  individual  should 
receive  the  ring  and  staff,  the  emblem  of  his  ofQce,  from  the 
hands  of  the  Pope  alone,  and  any  one  who  should  dare  to  dis- 
obey this  command  would  be  punished  with  the  anathemas  of 
the  Church.  The  undertaking  was  one  of  immense  magni- 
tude, as  the  most  powerful  princes  would  not  surrender  their 
privileges  without  a  struggle.  The  boldness  displayed  in  en- 
acting this  measure,  however,  was  the  cause  of  its  great  suc- 
cess. When  it  is  remembered  that,  at  this  time,  the  Church 
owned  vast  landed  interests  in  Europe,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  the 
control  of  the  revenues  was  a  great  incentive  for  disobedience 
to  the  demand  of  the  Pope. 

The  principal  means  of  declaring  punishment  was  by  Ex- 
communication and  Interdict. 

The  Excommunication  was  directed   against  individuals. 


The  Temporal  Powers  of  the  Popes.  381 

Such  persons  were  cut  off  from  any  communication  with  the 
Church,  and  were  denied  the  association  of  their  friends.  Or, 
if  he  were  a  king,  or  prince,  lord  or  chief,  his  subjects  were  re- 
leased from  their  oath  of  allegiance.  This  ban  also  extended 
to  anyone  providing  food,  clothing,  or  shelter.  The  indi- 
vidual was  denied  association  of  any  kind. 

The  Interdict  was  decreed  against  a  city,  kingdom  or  prov- 
ince, and  wherever  this  ban  was  announced  all  religious  cere- 
monies must  cease.  The  Churches  were  declared  closed,  and 
all  ceremonies,  as  of  marriage,  burial,  or  otherwise,  were  de- 
nied. Only  baptism  of  children  and  the  rites  of  extreme  unc- 
tion could  be  administered. 

Gregory  had  resolved  to  meet  this  just  order  of  reform 
with  all  the  force  of  his  Christian  character.  He  looked  upon 
the  offering  of  Church  positions  as  an  article  to  be  bought 
and  sold  with  ill-concealed  displeasure,  and  determinedly  de- 
manded that  it  should  be  abolished.  The  decree  created  a 
perfect  hurricane  of  opposition,  not  only  among  the  princes 
and  sovereigns  of  Europe,  but  the  clergy  themselves  were 
loud  in  its  denunciation.  The  dispute  thus  begun  distracted 
the  empires  of  Europe  for  centuries,  and  was  not  settled  until 
after  the  adjustment  of  the  religious  peace  following  the  Ref- 
ormation. 

Some  historians  claim  that  the  causes  which  led  up  to 
the  Reformation  did  not  emanate  from  Martin  Luther,  John 
Calvin,  Ulric  Zwingli,  John  Huss,  or  John  de  WickHffe,  but 
that  the  constant  jealousies  of  the  royal  princes  and  the 
Church  of  Rome  inspired  them.  That  Pope  Gregory  struck 
the  keynote  of  revolt  when  he  sought  to  elevate  the  position 


382  Christian  Persecutions. 

of  the  Church  officials  by  vesting  the  power  of  their  appoint- 
ment in  the  head  of  the  Church,  and  not  subjecting  them  to 
the  temporal  power  of  a  sovereign.  It  was  this  same  class  of 
opponents  that  refused  to  punish  Martin  Luther  for  diso- 
bedience; that  sustained  the  Huguenots  in  France;  that  fed  the 
spirit  of  Calvinism;  that  created  revolutions  in  France,  Ger- 
many, Switzerland,  Sweden  and  the  Netherlands.  The 
Church  revolt  of  this  whole  period  was  caused  by  the  mon- 
archs  refusing  to  recognize  the  rights  of  discipline,  the  cor- 
rection of  evils,  and  the  direct  disobedience  of  the  mandates  of 
the  Church. 

The  most  formidable  opposition  came  from  Henry  IV, 
Emperor  of  Germany,  who  refused  to  recognize  the  decree  of 
the  Pope,  and  in  his  desperate  madness  called  a  council  of  the 
clergy  of  Germany,  and  in  retaliation  of  what  he  called  in- 
toleration,  he  deposed  the  Pope  and  then  gave  official  notice 
to  the  world.  Henry  had  not  contemplated  the  result.  He 
believed  he  could  arouse  the  whole  Christian  world  against  the 
decree  of  Gregory,  and  that  they  would  follow  his  persecution, 
and  that  the  Pope  would  be  forced  to  either  relent  or  be  re- 
moved from  the  chair.  In  this  he  was  mistaken.  The  people 
were  horrified  at  Henry's  audacity  to  publicly  proclaim  the 
Pope  deposed,  and  failed  to  support  him  in  his  madness.  But 
the  Pope  gathered  a  council  at  Rome  and,  in  turn,  deposed 
the  emperor  and  then  excommunicated  him.  The  effect  was 
most  wonderful  indeed,  Henry  was  looked  upon  as  a  man 
accursed  by  heaven.  His  subjects  began  to  revolt,  and  his 
authority  was  disobeyed.  His  kingdom  was  going  to  pieces, 
and  he  was  shunned  by  his  subjects  as  unworthy  the  con- 


The  Temporal  Powers  of  the  Popes.  383 

fidence,  power  or  position  of  sovereign.  It  was  a  most  terri- 
ble ordeal  for  the  emperor.  His  friends  forsook  him,  his  ene- 
mies were  in  revolt,  and  the  Church  was  closed  against  him. 
In  this  wretched  condition  he  sought  the  Pontiff  at  Canassa, 
among  the  Apennines,  but  the  Pope  refused  to  admit  him  to 
his  presence.  It  was  winter,  yet  the  emperor  would  prove  his 
penitence  and  for  three  days  stood  in  the  court-yard  of  the 
palace,  barefooted  and  clothed  in  sackcloth.  On  the  fourth 
day  Gregory  took  compassion  on  him  and  admitted  him  to 
his  presence,  where,  kneeling  at  the  feet  of  the  Pope,  he  sought 
forgiveness  and  pleaded  to  be  reinstated  to  his  favor,  and  to  his 
people.  Gregory  removed  the  sentence  of  excommunication 
and  bade  him  go  home  and  sin  no  more.  The  Pope  kindly  ad- 
monished him  for  his  disobedience,  and  directed  him  to  unite 
his  people,  and  in  the  future  seek  to  advance  Christianity  and 
not  to  dethrone  it. 

We  will  not  narrate  the  incidents  that  followed  Henry's  res- 
toration to  his  people,  but  having  obtained  their  confidence, 
the  spirit  of  revenge  for  his  humiliation  was  now  aroused,  and 
he  raised  an  army,  invaded  Italy,  and  drove  Gregory  into  exile 
at  Salerno,  where,  in  1085,  he  died.  His  last  words  were:  "I 
have  loved  justice  and  hated  iniquity,  and  therefore  I  die  in 
exile." 

The  revenge  of  Henry  was  but  the  boomerang  of  his  own 
acts.  The  quarrel  did  not  end  here.  The  successors  of 
Gregory  determined  to  humble  his  proud  spirit.  He  was  ex- 
communicated, and  his  own  sons  rose  up  in  rebellion  against 
him.  He  strove  for  a  long  time  to  maintain  his  power,  but  the 
cry  of  Gregory  ever  sounded  in  his  ears,  and  at  last  he  suc- 
cumbed, and,  in  11,06,  died  of  a  broken  heart. 


384  Christian  Peesboutions. 

But  the  feud  between  the  German  princes  and  the  Church 
of  Rome  did  not  cease  with  the  death  of  Pope  Gregory  Vll 
and  Henry  IV.  A  long  and  fierce  contention  ensued  which 
lasted  more  than  one  hundred  years.  The  proud  House  of 
Hohenstaufen  continued  the  struggle  of  opposition  to  the 
Papal  See,  which  had  been  going  on  so  long  between  the 
German  princes  and  the  Church  of  Rome,  but  in  this  strug- 
gle the  Bishops  of  Rome  won  a  final  triumph  and  the  House 
of  Hohenstaufen  went  down  in  utter  ruin.  The  fight  had  been 
long  and  bitter,  and  in  the  issue  of  this  century  of  conflict  their 
power  was  broken,  never  again  to  rise  in  its  past  glory  and 
strength. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE  TEMPORAL  POWERS  OF  THE  POPES— Continued. 

WE  now  reach  the  chmax  of  the  temporal  powers  of  the 
Popes.  It  is  the  13th  century,  and  the  beginning  of  the 
period  of  Papal  splendor.  The  power  of  the  Church  was  al- 
most supreme.  Nearl}^  all  of  the  monarchs  of  Europe  swore 
fealty  to  his  power.  "Rome  was  once  more  the  mistress  of  the 
world."  Innocent  III  had  succeeded  to  the  Pontifical  throne. 
Under  him  was  nearly  made  good  the  wrangle  of  centuries. 
Innocent  was  declared  the  greatest  of  the  Popes  after  Gregory 
VII.  His  wonderful  powers  almost  united  the  Church 
throughout  the  entire  realm  of  Christianity. 

One  of  Innocent's  greatest  triumphs  over  the  kings  of 
Europe  was  that  of  Philip  Augustus,  of  France,  who,  having 
put  away  his  wife,  was  commanded  to  take  her  back  and  was 
forced  to  submission  by  a  decree  of  Interdict.  Of  this  sub- 
mission the  great  English  historian  and  critic,  Henry  Hallam, 
said:  "This  submission  of  such  a  prince,  not  feebly  supersti- 
tious like  his  predecessor,  Robert,  nor  vexed  with  seditions, 
like  the  Emperor  Henry  IV,  but  brave,  firm  and  victorious,  is 
perhaps  the  proudest  trophy  in  the  scutcheon  of  Rome." 

Another  wonderful  victory  for  Innocent  was  the  conten- 
tion with  King  John  of  England,  where  we  find  the  following: 
The  See  of  Canterbury  falling  vacant,  the  king  ordered  the 
monks  to  elect  a  court  favorite,  which  they  did,  but  the  Pope 
immedia4:ely  declared  the  election  void,  as  the  king  had  no 

385 


386  Christian  Persecutions. 

right  to  command  the  election  of  a  favorite,  and  caused  the 
vacancy  to  be  filled  by  the  election  of  Stephen  Langdon.  John 
declared  that  Langdon  should  never  be  installed  as  the  Pope's 
archbishop,  and  proceeded  to  confiscate  the  estates  of  the  See. 
Innocent,  not  hesitating  in  this  rebellion,  excommunicated 
John  and  placed  his  whole  dominion  under  an  Inderdict.  The 
people  were  alarmed,  and  demanded  of  the  king  an  immediate 
reconciliation.  Like  the  German  Emperor  before  him,  he 
sued  for  a  restoration  of  his  power  and  agreed  to  recognize 
Langdon,  restore  the  confiscated  property,  and  even  went  so 
far  as  to  offer,  of  his  own  free  will,  the  whole  of  England  as  a 
perpetual  fief,  and  also  to  pay  to  the  Papal  See  the  sum  of 
1,000  marks  annually.  Tliis  tribute  money  was  paid  until  the 
year  1289. 

But  as  time  goes  on  and  we  reach  the  year  1309,  we, see  the 
splendor  of  Innocent  III  being  lost  in  the  decline  of  the  tem- 
poral power  of  the  Popes.  One  of  the  greatest  persecutions 
which  has  ever  befallen  the  head  of  the  Church  occurred  in 
this  year,  when  the  French  king,  Philip  the  Fair,  caused  the 
Papal  Chair  to  be  removed  from  Rome  to  Avignon,  in  Pro- 
vence, near  the  frontier  of  French  territory.  It  seemed  to  be 
the  ambition  of  this  king  to  establish  the  head  of  the  Church 
on  French  soil,  and  to  be  under  the  control  of  French  kings. 
There  appeared  to  be  no  conflict  of  old  standing,  and  no  feud 
to  avenge,  but  the  object  seemed  to  be  purely  one  of  ambition 
to  have  the  Church  located  under  the  care  and  authority  of  the 
French  government. 

The  Seat  of  the  Church  remained  captive  at  Avignon  for 
seventy  years,  during  which  time  it  is  known  as  the  Babylo- 


The  Temporal  Powers  op  the  Popes.  387 

iiian  Captivity.  During  this  period  all  the  Popes  were  French 
and  as  a  natural  consequence,  were  controlled  by  the  French 
kings.  In  writing  of  this  period  of  captivity,  the  American 
historian,  Charles  Stille,  says:  "In  that  city  the  Papacy 
ceased,  in  the  eyes  of  a  very  large  part  of  Christendom,  to  pos- 
sess that  sacred  cosmopolitan  character  Which,  no  doubt,  had 
much  to  do  with  the  veneration  and  respect  with  which  the 
Catholic  authority  had  been  regarded." 

Probably  at  no  time  in  the  history  of  Christianity  had  the 
head  of  the  Church  borne  so  little  respect  as  at  this.  It  had 
gone  from  the  consecrated  city  of  Rome,  the  city  that  Christ 
had  commanded  the  Apostle  Peter  to  redeem  from  pagan 
idolatry.  Rome  had  been  subdued  for  the  establishment  of  the 
Church  of  Christ.  It  was  the  only  sanctified  spot  on  God's 
earth  fitted  to  preach  repentance  and  to  spread  the  light  of 
Christianity  unto  all  nations.  It  was  here  that  the  first  mar- 
tyrs of  the  faith  of  Christ  lay  down  their  lives  in  death  and 
crucifixion.  It  was  here  that  Peter  gave  up  his  life,  as  Christ 
had  given  his.  It  was  here  that  the  persecutions  of  Nero 
opened  the  eyes  of  the  idolatrous  pagans  and  smote  their  con- 
science with  remorse.  It  was  here  that  the  power  of  Chris- 
tianity was  established,  that  it  received  the  blessings  of  God, 
and  it  was  here  that  it  was  declared  that  the  gates  of  hell  shall 
not  prevail  against  it.  Therefore,  it  is  not  strange  that  this 
desecration  of  the  Holy  Chair  was  derogatory  to  its  sacred- 
ness  and  to  its  veneration.  It  was  a  captive  in  a  strange  land, 
and  must  be  returned  to  the  city  of  God. 

The  Italians  became  discontented  with  this  French  confis- 
cation— this  enforced  removal  of  the  Pope  to  Avignon,  and 


388  Christian  Persecutions. 

an  open  rupture  ensued.  The  French  party  refusing  to  allow 
a  return  to  Rome,  and  the  Italians,  in  1378,  deciding  to  stand 
the  persecution  no  longer,  and  despairing  of  securing  their 
rights,  elected  a  rival  Pope.  The  world  now  had  two  Popes — 
one  at  Avignon,  and  one  at  Rome.  Matters  were  growing 
worse.  The  reverence  due  this  great  authority  was  fast 
dwindHng  away.  Something  must  be  done.  There  could  not 
be  two  heads  and  still  maintain  that  discipline,  that  union  of 
spirit  and  that  strength  of  character  which  must  prevail. 

Finally,  in  1409,  a  general  Council  of  the  Church  was 
called  to  meet  at  Pisa  for  the  purpose  of  ending  this  uncalled- 
for  quarrel.  In  this  council  both  Popes  were  deposed  and 
Alexander  V  elected  as  the  head  of  the  Church.  But  here 
matters  even  grew  worse  instead  of  better.  Neither  of  the  de- 
posed Popes  would  submit  to  the  decision  of  the  council,  and, 
consequently,  there  were  now  three  instead  of  two. 

Matters  thus  continued  until  another  council  was  called 
at  Constance,  and  the  dispute  settled  by  the  resignation  of  one 
and  the  deposing  of  the  other  two.  A  new  Pope  was  now 
elected,  Martin  V,  and  the  Church  was  again  united  and  the 
Catholic  world  made  glad  by  its  recovery.  Rome  was  the 
sanctified  city  of  Early  Christianity,  and  now  it  was  restored 
to  its  place  as  the  great  head  of  the  Church  of  St.  Peter. 

In  this  conflict  of  authority  we  find  that  the  temporal  rulers 
of  England,  Germany  and  France  took  advantage  of  the  situ- 
ation, and  declared  themselves  as  not  amenable  to  the  author- 
ity of  the  Pope  except  in  matters  spiritual.  But  be  it  said  to 
the  credit  of  those  temporal  rulers,  they  were  earnest  in  their 
adherence  to  the  Pope  as  the  supreme  head  of  the  Church,  and 


The  Temporal  Powers  of  the  Popes.  889 

the  authority  in  all  spiritual  matters,  and  while  they  were 
working-  against  his  temporal  powers  yet  they  were  doing  all 
that  was  possible  to  punish  heresy  and  stop  the  spread  of 
spiritual  revolt. 

After  the  fall  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte  the  map  of  Europe 
was  readjusted  by  the  celebrated  Congress  of  Vienna.  In  this 
adjustment  Italy  was  divided  somewhat  as  follows:  Lom- 
bardy  and  Venetia  were  given  to  Austria.  The  princes  of  the 
House  of  Hapsburg  were  given  Tuscany,  Modena,  Parma  and 
Piacenza.  The  Bourbon  rulers  obtained  Naples,  while  Pope 
Pius  VII,  and  the  king  of  Sardinia,  Victor  Emmanuel  I,  were 
the  only  native  rulers. 

Pope  Pius  VII,  who  had  now  returned  to  the  Eternal  City 
after  being  held  a  captive  by  Bonaparte  and  his  Papal  States 
confiscated  by  the  French  Empire,  was  now  fully  restored  to 
both  his  possessions,  the  spiritual  and  temporal  authority.  But 
the  peace  was  not  of  long  duration.  Secret  societies  were  be- 
ing formed  all  over  Italy,  the  great  object  being  the  overthrow 
of  the  powers  of  the  princes  and  the  Pope  and  the  establish- 
ment of  a  republic  by  a  consolidation  of  all  the  states  of  Italy. 
Plots  and  intrigues  were  everywhere  secretly  devised,  and  the 
whole  body  politic  was  one  mass  of  inflammation. 

In  1820-1821  an  insurrection  broke  out  in  the  kingdom  of 
the  two  Sicilies.  The  Liberal  Party  was  about  to  win  when 
an  army  of  60,000  Austrian  troops  was  sent  to  restore  order 
and  authority.  Foreign  powers  interfered  in  the  affairs  of  the 
Church  and  continued  to  feed  the  discontent  of  the  people. 
The  leaders  of  the  rebellion  were  continually  spreading  their 
complaints    and    heaping    calumnies   against   th^^    Holy    See. 


390  Christian  Persecutions. 

Neither  prince  nor  Pope  were  spared  in  these  maHcious  at- 
tacks. It  was  again  the  cry  of  the  old  French  Revolution: 
Down  with  the  monarchies  of  Italy!  Down  with  the  Pope  of 
Rome!  And  while  these  agitators  were  loud  in  their  assaults 
against  the  Church,  yet  it  was  neither  doctrine  nor  faith  that 
was  being  defied,  but  the  power  to  govern,  to  be  ruled  by  the 
Pope,  or  by  any  power  of  lord  or  prince.  It  was  not  the  cry 
of  Martin  Luther,  to  destroy  the  Church's  dogmatical  teach- 
ings, but  the  cry  to  destroy  and  to  break  down  the  temporal 
power  of  the  Pope. 

In  1830-1831  a  new  revolution  again  appeared,  its  central 
movement  being  in  the  Papal  States,  and  again  the  Austrian 
troops  hurried  to  quell  the  insurrection.  Austria  was  now 
dominant  over  the  destiny  of  Italy.  Twice  had  her  armies 
crushed  the  aspirations  of  those  who  were  secretly  intriguing 
to  overthrow  the  powers  of  Italy.  These  defeats  only  aroused 
more  fully  the  deep  hatred  of  all  things  German.  "Death  to 
the  Germans!"  was  rung  from  one  end  of  the  empire  to  the 
other.  Those  who  had  been  inclined  to  obedience  were  now 
secretly  plotting  and  assisting  the  numerous  conspiracies.  The 
Pope  was  not  secure  in  his  friendship,  for  those  who  professed 
fealty  were  only  spies  ready  to  rise  in  open  revolt  when  an 
opportunity  was  presented.  To-day  he  would  express  his 
plans  and  to-morrow  his  enemies  were  in  full  knowledge  of 
them.  Sworn  secrecy  was  everywhere  the  instrument  of  per- 
secution. What  the  conspirators  failed  to  obtain  by  honorable 
means  they  accomplished  by  the  secret  workings  of  the  so- 
cieties that  were  organized  to  defeat  the  Pope  and  take  from 
him  his  possessions. 


The  Temporal  Powers  op  the  Popes.  391 

But  while  there  was  unity  as  regards  a  deadly  hatred 
against  the  Austrians,  yet  in  the  disposition  of  the  proposed 
republic  there  was  a  lack  of  national  organization.  One  party, 
known  as  "Young  Italy,"  and  founded  by  that  active  republic- 
an, Joseph  Mazzini,  advocated  a  republic  pure  and  simple. 
Another  party  desired  to  form  a  constitutional  confederation 
of  all  the  states  of  Italy,  with  the  Pope  as  its  chief.  The  third 
party  clung  to  the  ideas  of  a  monarch,  and  looked  upon  the 
king  of  Sardinia  as  its  head. 

For  nearly  eighteen  years  Italy  lay  smouldering  in  the  cra- 
ter of  insurrection,  when  again  the  fires  of  revolt  Burst  forth 
anew,  and  in  T848-1S49  the  whole  country  arose  in  rebellion, 
but  by  the  united  intervention  of  Austria  and  France  it  was 
again  quelled,  and  their  leaders  either  executed,  imprisoned,  or 
forced  to  leave  the  country.  The  hopes  of  the  Italians  were 
now  crushed,  and  the  movement  to  establish  an  independent 
republic  by  the  overthrow  of  the  monarchies  and  the  Pope 
was  abandoned,  and  secret  intrigue  was  again  inaugurated. 
This  time  it  was  to  enlist  the  kingdom  of  Sardinia  in  the  liber- 
ation of  Italy.  What  they  could  not  accomplish  by  republican 
revolution  they  now  sought  to  obtain  by  enlisting  one  mon- 
arch against  another.  It  would  be  a  matter  of  substitution, 
not  liberty  under  a  republican  form  of  government,  but  a 
substitution  of  one  monarchy  for  another. 

Victor  Emmanuel  II  was  the  king  of  Sardinia  and  Count 
Cavour  his  prime  minister,  while  associated  with  him  was  the 
"hero  of  the  red  shirt,"  Garibaldi,  a  man  whose  life  had  been 
full  of  romantic  adventures,  who  had  most  violently  clamored 
for  republicanism,  and  who  had  already  been  twice   exiled 


392  Christian  Persecutions. 

from  Italy.  Around  these  three  characters  now  crowded  the 
revolutionary  party  of  the  Italian  states.  The  hour  for  an- 
other attack  had  arrived.  In  1859  Count  Cavour  had  made  a 
secret  compact  with  the  French  emperor,  whereby  he  solemnly 
agreed  to  demand  that  Austria  should  restore  Lombardy  and 
Venetia  to  their  own  free  governments  and  cease  to  interfere 
with  the  internal  affairs  of  Italy,  and  failing  to  do  this,  Sardinia 
would  declare  war  and  France  would  be  her  ally. 

The  Austrian  government  refused  to  accede  to  these  de- 
mands, and  open  conflict  immediately  followed.  The  Sar- 
dinian and  French  armies  won  the  two  great  battles  of  Ma- 
genta and  Solferino,  and  but  for  the  threatening  attitude  of 
Prussia  and  Germany  the  war  would  have  been  continued,  but 
Napoleon,  seeing  the  possibilities  of  a  long  struggle,  opened 
negotiations  for  peace,  which  resulted  somewhat  favorable  to 
the  Sardinian  government,  although  the  people  were  not  yet 
satisfied.  In  this  peace  Sardinia  acquired  Lombardy,  Modena. 
Tuscany,  Parma  and  Romagna,  with  a  population  of  9,000,- 
000.  With  this  increase  in  membership  of  the  Italian  family, 
her  strength  was  greatly  augmented  and  in  the  coming  conflict 
with  the  Pope  of  Rome,  the  Italians  would  more  easily  over- 
come his  authority  and  become  master  of  the  entire  peninsula. 

Slowly  and  surely  does  the  planning,  the  plotting,  and  the 
intriguing  of  Victor  Emmanuel  and  his  daring,  venturous 
Garibaldi  gather  the  states  of  Italy  into  his  kingdom.  In  1860, 
the  subjects  of  Francis  II,  king  of  Naples  and  Sicily,  rose  in 
revolt.  Now  was  the  time  for  another  move  upon  the  checker 
board  of  Italy.  Victor  Emmanuel  and  his  minister,  Cavour, 
were  in   strong  sympathy  with   the    movement,   but   fearing 


The  Temporal  Powers  of  the  Popes.  393 

the  jealousy  of  France  and  Austria,  they  were  careful  in  their 
outward  demonstrations,  but  in  secret  conclave  the  King  of 
Italy  allowed  his  right-hand  accomplice,  Garibaldi,  to  raise  an 
army  of  one  thousand  five  hundred  volunteers,  and  set  sail 
from  Geneva  for  Sicily,  where  he  declared  himself  Dictator  of 
Sicily  in  the  name  of  Victor  Emmanuel,  "King  of  Italy."  This 
strong  and  passionate  general,  with  the  assistance  afforded 
him  by  the  uprising  of  the  people,  soon  overcame  the  troops 
of  Francis  and  drove  them  out  of  the  island;  then  crossing  to 
Naples,  he  agam  declared  his  sovereignty.  By  a  vote,  the 
people  decided  that  these  two  countries,  Sicily  and  Naples, 
should  be  annexed  to  the  possessions  of  Victor  Emmanuel, 
and  the  Sardinian  kingdom,  after  this  conquest,  is  to  be  known 
as  the  kingdom  of  Italy.  By  this  achievement  9,000,000  more 
Italians  were  added  to  the  new  government,  and  nothing  stood 
in  the  way  of  a  total  absorption  of  all  the  territories  of  Italy 
but  the  coveted  Venetia  and  the  Papal  States. 

Again  were  secret  societies  spreading  their  revolutionary 
tenets  in  every  direction,  and  with  a  double  force.  On  to 
Rome  and  a  confiscation  of  the  last  vestige  of  temporal  power 
of  the  Pope,  was  the  secret  intrigue  of  a  thousand  leagues. 
The  Freemasons,  the  Order  of  Carbonari,  and  the  Union 
Leagues,  were  secretly  and  most  industriously  seeking  to  in- 
cense the  people  against  the  Papal  authority,  and  when  the 
hour  should  arrive  for  the  final  insurrection,  its  force  should 
be  so  strong  and  overwhelming  that  no  power  could  resist. 
The  last  move  should  be  so  planned  that  the  work  of  revolu- 
tion should  not  fail.  They  could  build  upon  the  prejudices  of 
the  people.     They  could  establish  their  missions  in  the  very 

(26) 


394  Christian  Persecutions. 

Vatican  of  Rome.  They  could  spy  .upon  every  movement  of 
the  Pope,  and  in  the  coming-  time,  which  proved  not  far  dis- 
tant, they  could  snatch  from  the  Pope  the  last  remnant  of  the 
once  magnificent  possessions  of  the  Holy  See.  Only  the 
Papal  States  stood  between  the  sovereignty  of  Victor  Em- 
manuel and  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  these  would  soon  be 
wrested  from  its  temporal  power,  and  the  last  vestige  of  its 
secular  authority  would  be  overthrown. 

In  1866  war  between  Prussia  and  Austria  offered  the 
looked-for  opportunity  to  compel  the  Austrian  government  to 
surrender  to  the  kingdom  of  Italy  the  Venetian  possession. 
Here  again  we  see  the  shrewd  diplomacy  of  Victor  Emman- 
uel. He  formed  an  alliance  with  the  king  of  Prussia,  the 
bargain  fee  being  the  province  of  Venetia  when  peace  was  de- 
clared, and  that  no  peace  should  be  agreed  to  without  this 
bargain.  The  war  was  of  short  duration,  only  seven  weeks, 
so  in  an  almost  incredibly  short  space  of  time  this  coveted 
territory  was  added  to  this  new  kingdom  of  Italy. 

At  last  the  dreams  of  Victor  Emmanuel,  Cavour,  and  his 
daring  and  illustrious  Garibaldi  were  almost  to  be  realized. 
They  had  brought  under  one  government  all  the  Italian  prov- 
inces except  Rome,  and  now  to  make  the  conquest  perfect 
they  must  invent  some  excuse  for  assaulting  the  Sacred  City  of 
Christ  and  his  Apostle  Peter.  In  their  ambition  not  even  the 
sacredness  of  the  Pope's  possessions  could  remain  untouched. 
Italy  must  be  under  one  government,  and  the  Pope's  power 
must  no  longer  prevail.  It  was  argued  that  to  be  at  the  head 
of  the  Church  was  all  the  possessions  he  should  have  on  earth. 
Rome  and  the  Papal  States  were  wanted  to  fill  the  measure  of 


The  Temporal  Powers  of  the  Popes.  395 

conquest.  It  mattered  not  if  the  Pope  was  persecuted  and 
driven  from  the  city  of  his  earthly  power.  He  must  surren- 
der the  last  earthly  possession  and  hand  over  to  his  conquer- 
ors the  Eternal  City.  Rome  was  the  coveted  possession  of 
the  king  of  Italy.  It  had  been  the  mistress  of  the  world,  and 
It  should  now  be  the  mistress  of  Italy,  not  through  the  power 
of  the  Pope,  but  by  the  power  of  Victor  Emmanuel.  All 
eyes  of  Italy  looked  tO'  Rome.  The  whole  Christian  civil- 
ization of  two  continents  was  waiting  with  bated  breath  for 
the  final  struggle.  It  was  no  ordinary  contest.  It  was  a 
contest  between  the  head  of  the  Great  Roman  Catholic 
Church  and  the  ambitions  of  Victor  Emmanuel  and  Garibaldi. 
Would  the  contest  come?  When?  France  stood  at  the  gates 
of  the  Holy  City  as  the  sentinel  waits  and  watches  for  the  ap- 
proach of  an  enemy.  She  is  the  ally  of  the  Pope  and  Italy 
must  wait.  r>ut  still  the  secret  intrigue  goes  on.  Tlie  youth 
of  Italy  arc  enticed  to  join  the  secret  societies  and  thus  become 
the  enemies  of  the  Church.  Children  are  taught  to  smile  with 
scorn  and  derision  at  the  mention  of  infallibility.  In  this 
teaching  they  grossly  misrepresent  its  meaning.  The  teacher 
represents  that  the  Pope  claims  that  he  cannot  err  or  sin,  that 
he  is  raised  above  the  earthly  desires  of  men,  that  he  is  divine 
in  the  exposition  of  faith,  and  that  he  gives  his  life  as  Christ 
gave  his  for  the  benefit  of  all  mankind.  By  these  teachings 
the  youth  is  taught  to  disbelieve,  to  view  with  skepticism  the 
sanctity  of  the  position  of  the  Pope,  and  to  mar  his  faith  in  the 
tenets  of  the  Church. 

But  not  long  did  these  anxious  watchers  have  to  wait.     In 


396  Christian  Persecutions. 

1870  came  the  terrible  conflict  between  France  and  Germany. 
The  faithful  sentinels  of  the  French  army  were  called  from  the 
City  of  Rome.  The  door  was  open  and  the  Pope  was  now  at 
the  mercy  of  the  king  of  Italy.  The  French  armies  were  de- 
feated and  the  ally  of  the  Pope  was  lost  in  the  establishment 
of  the  Republic  of  France.  Victor  Emmanuel  ordered  his 
troops  to  enter  Rome,  and  on  the  20th  of  September,  1870,  he 
himself  took  possession  of  the  papal  palace  of  the  Quirinal. 

Thus  was  the  last  act  accomplished  in  dispossessing  the 
Pope  of  the  remnant  of  his  temporal  power.  He  was  no 
longer  in  his  own  diminions.  Like  Christ,  he  could  exclaim: 
The  birds  of  the  air  have  their  nests  and  the  foxes  of  the  fields 
have  their  holes,  but  the  representative  of  the  Church  of  Christ 
has  ncwhere  to  lay  his  head.  Thus  despoiled  of  his  temporal 
power,  the  Pope  retired  to  the  Vatican,  refusing  to  accept  the 
law  guaranteeing  to  him  his  freedom  and  the  civil  list  which 
provided  him  with  a  stipulated  revenue. 

Thus  have  we  briefly  followed  the  rise  aTid  fall  of  the  tem- 
poral power  of  the  Bishops  of  Rome.  It  was  more  than  one 
thousand  years  since  Pepin  and  Charlemagne  had  invested  the 
Church  with  perpetual  authority  over  the  Papal  States.  In 
this  long  period  the  Church  maintained  its  authority  with 
scarcely  an  intermission.  The  world  had  ever  regarded  these 
States  as  sacred  to  the  control  of  the  Church,  but  while  the 
Catholic  world  may  mourn  over  its  loss,  yet  there  has  been 
no  decrease  in  its  constant  work  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
mankind.  Its  growth  among  nations  has  been  wonderful, 
and  although  persecutions  have  often  impeded  its  progress, 


The  Temporal  Powers  of  the  Popes.  397 

yet  it  has  surmounted  all  obstacles,  repulsed  the  forces  of 
bigotry  and  fanaticism,  and  now,  in  the  strength  of  a  magnifi- 
cent and  unparalleled  spiritual  government,  it  asks  you  to  re- 
move your  prejudices,  to  cast  aside  your  ignorance,  and  to 
welcome  it  to  your  society. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

INFALLIBILITY  OF  THE  POPES. 

pEW  Protestants  understand  the  real  meaning  of  the  Infal- 
■■■  Hbihty  of  the  Popes.  Like  many  important  features,  or 
histories,  of  the  Cathohc  Church,  which  have  been  grossly 
misrepresented,  so,  too,  has  this  doctrine  of  Papal  authority 
been  belied,  slandered,  and  condemned,  and  all  because  of 
ignorance  of  the  subject  under  discussion. 

Probably  no  interpretation  of  Catholic  dogma  has  been 
looked  upon  by  Protestants  with  so  little  reverence  as  this, 
but  when  we  analyze  the  interpretation  that  is  usually  given, 
we  ought  not  to  wonder  wliy  it  is  so,  for  we  find  that  Prot- 
estants are  usually  taug'ht  that  the  Pope,  being  called  Infal- 
lible, is  above  the  possibility  of  sin.  InfaHibility  to  them  can 
have  but  one  construction,  and  that  which  refers  to  a  perfect 
purity  of  mind  and  body.  Catholics  may  wonder  why  such  a 
belief  should  become  so  prevalent  among  other  Christian 
denominations,  but  when  I  tell  you  I  have  always  lived  in  as 
intelligent  a  State,  county  and  town  as  there  is  in  the  United 
States,  and  yet,  during  my  whole  life  (and  I  am  now  turning 
the  corner  of  manhood's  prime),  I  have  no  recollection  of 
ever  hearing  a  Protestant  who  pretended  to  explain  Infalli- 
bility, except  as  it  meant  an  impossibility  to  sin.  The  whole 
argument  has  ever  been  to  present  this  one  idea,  and  in  its 
presentation  we  could  see  the  error  of  belief.  We  could  see 
that  tlie  Pope  was  a  man,  that  once  he  was  an  ordinary  priest, 

398 


Infallibility  of  the  Popes.  399 

and  now  to  place  him  in  the  Papal  chair  and  say  by  this 
act  that  he  is  above  sin  was  carrying  the  subHme  to  a  point  of 
inconsistency,  and  of  course  through  Protestant  eyes  it  became 
a  ridiculous  farce. 

Thus  we  find  that  almost  universally,  outside  of  Catholics, 
the  belief  refers  to  a  perfect  purity  of  life,  with  no  error  and 
no  sin;  that  every  act  is  pure  and  holy;  and  because  of  these 
Christ-like  inspirations,  the  Pope  is  placed  above  the  worldly 
passions  of  men,  and  thus  made  Infallible  in  speech,  in  deed, 
and  in  instruction.  This  is  the  general  opinion  that  is  accepted 
by  Protestants  everywhere.  And  why  should  they  not  believe 
it?  Like  myself,  they  were  taught  it  in  society,  in  the  church, 
at  home,  at  school,  when  abroad,  in  fact  it  was  an  unconscious 
instruction  in  every  walk  of  life.  Every  Protestant  child 
grows  to  the  years  of  understanding  with  this  thought  firmly 
implanted  in  his  mind.  How  could  it  be  otherwise?  He 
received  no  counter  instruction,  and  without  even  observa- 
tion, beheved  tliat  Catholics  accepted  the  doctrine  of  Infalli- 
biHty  as  a  divine  power  of  man. 

When  I  look  back  through  my  career  in  life,  when  I 
realize  that  this  one  lesson  of  all  other  lessons  was  accepted 
without  discussion,  or  even  investigation,  I  simply  stop  in 
my  meditations  and  say  to  myself:  This  is  the  only  instruc- 
tion which  I  have  ever  received  in  w^iich  I  did  not  consider 
the  subject,  and  in  considering,  investigate  its  foundation.  I 
accepted  the  statement  as  a  fact  and  could  not  conceive  how 
any  intelligent  being  could  be  so  blinded  in  faith  as  to  believe 
that  a  Pope  could  not  sin.  In  my  ignorance  I  actually  pitied 
the    misguided    Catholic   for   his    infatuation   and    blindness, 


400  Christian  Persecutions. 

when  ill  reality  I  should  have  pitied  myself  for  accepting  the 
statement  of  others  without  a  study,  or  even  a  thought  of 
investigation. 

Having  commenced  a  study  of  the  Catholic  Church,  it 
became  an  easy  matter  to  follow  one  principle  after  another 
without  any  serious  trouble  of  misunderstanding,  and  as  I 
did  so  I  found  that  I  had  gathered  only  prejudice  and  mis- 
statements. The  history  of  the  Church  was  becoming  fascinat- 
ing to  me,  for  it  was  developing  a  character  so  much  diflferenit 
from  what  I  had  been  taught  to  beheve.  I  found  that  I  had 
been  deceived  in  my  views  concerning  it.  It  was  not  that 
awful  instrument  of  persecution,  rack,  and  torture,  which  had 
been  charged  against  it.  There  were  two  sides  to  every  charge 
and  grievance  raised  in  its  opposition.  There  were  two  sides  to 
the  Reformation  and  its  long  line  of  wars  and  desolation.  There 
were  two  sides  to  the  history  of  the  Huguenots  of  France. 
There  were  two  sides  to  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew.  Two 
sides  to  the  Spanish  Inquisition,  the  controversy  on  the  Bible, 
the  history  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  of  Queen  Mary,  and  the 
oppressed  and  persecuted  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots.  And  on 
further  investigation  I  found  a  new  vision  in  the  sainted  and 
beautiful  life  ol  the  mother  of  Jesus,  and  as  I  developed  in 
my  mind  this  wonderful  miracle  of  God  by  Which  the  Saviour 
of  man  came  into  the  world,  I  learned  to  reverence  the  instru- 
ment of  purity  that  gave  Him  birth.  To  me  the  Virgin  Mary 
was  no  longer  an  ordinary  woman,  no  more  than  was  Christ 
an  ordinary  man.  By  this  I  do  not  mean  to  represent  that  the 
mother  of  Jesus  was  of  divine  origin,  but  being  prepared  for 
this   great  event   in  the   history  of  mankind,   she  could   not 


Infallibility  of  the  Popes.  401 

be  an  ordinary  woman.  Her  mission  was  one  of  a  grander 
purpose.  Her  body  was  consecrated  to  the  most  holy  office 
which  could  be  conceived  in  the  wisdom  of  God.  He  was 
to  give  his  only-begotten  Son  to  mankind  as  a  redemption  for 
sin,  and  in  this  gift,  this  bringing  to  earth  His  own  spirit.  He 
could  not  select  only  that  which  was  pure  and  undefiled. 

And  now,  when  we  find  that  Catholics  look  upon  the 
Virgin  Mary  with  love  and  veneration,  when  they  kneel  before 
her  shrine,  when  they  invoke  her  aid  in  their  intercessions 
before  the  throne  of  Grace,  we  are  forced  to  believe  that  they 
see  and  feel  wliat  Protestants  do  not  understand.  I  may  be 
too  expressive  in  my  demonstrations  of  this  pure  relation 
which  must  exist  between  Jesus  and  his  mother,  yet  I  cannot 
now  conceive  how  any  other  relation  could  have  existed,  nor 
can  I  understand  how  a  Christian  can  love  his  Redeemer  with- 
out loving  and  blessing  the  being  who  gave  Him  birth.  It 
would  seem  to  me  that  the  more  a  person  would  worship 
God,  the  more  he  must  honor  and  venerate  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

But  I  can  understand  why  Protestants  are  not  thus  en- 
thused. I  was  taught  that  these  demonstrations  of  affection 
are  but  mockery.  I  believed  they  worshiped  the  Virgin  Mary, 
just  as  I  believed  that  their  doctrine  taught  that  the  Pope  was 
Infallible  and  above  sin.  With  these  views  of  a  subject  it  is 
not  strange,  after  all,  that  we  grow  to  manhood  in  ignorance 
of  what  Catholics  profess  and  believe.  In  our  misjudgment 
we  mentally  condemn  What  does  not  exist,  and  in  our  imag- 
ination we  do  not  stop  to  inquire  or  investigate,  but  follow  in 
the  old  line  of  supposition. 

In  order  to  give  ati'  undisputed  evidence  of  what  Infalli- 


402  Christian  Persecutions. 

bility  means,  I  will  quote  from  Cardinal  Gibbons,  one  of  the 
best  Catholic  authorities  on  this  continent.  The  Cardinal 
says : 

"The  Infallibility  of  the  Popes  does  not  signify  that  they 
are  inspired.  The  Apostles  were  endowed  with  the  gifts  of 
inspiration,  and  we  accept  their  writings  as  the  revealed  word 
of  God." 

"No  Catholic,  on  the  contrary,  claims  that  the  Pope  is 
inspired,  or  endowed  with  divine  revelation  properly  so  called." 

"Infallibility  does  not  mean  that  the  Pope  is  impeccable,  or 
specially  exempt  from  liability  to  sin.  The  Popes  have  been, 
indeed,  with  few  exceptions,  men  of  virtuous  lives.  Many 
of  them  are  honored  martyrs,  Seventy-Inline  out  of  the  two 
hundred  and  fifty-nine  that  sat  on  the  chair  of  Peter,  are 
invoked  upon  our  altar  as  saints  eminent  for  their  holiness." 

"The  avowed  enemies  of  the  Church  charge  only  five  or 
six  Popes  with  immorality.  Thus,  even  admitting  the  truth 
of  the  accusations  brought  against  them,  we  have  forty-three 
virtuous  to  one  bad  Pope,  while  there  was  a  Judas  Iscariot 
among  the  twelve  Apostles." 

"But,  althoug'h  a  vast  majority  of  the  Sovereign  Pontiffs 
should  have  been  so  unfortunate  as  to  lead  vicious  lives,  this 
circumstance  would  not  of  itself  impair  the  validity  of  their 
prerogatives,  which  are  given,  not  for  the  preservation  of  their 
morals,  but  for  the  guidance  of  their  judgrnent;  for  there 
was  a  Balaam  among  the  Prophets,  and  a  Caiphas  among  the 
High  Priests  of  the  Old  Law." 

"The  present  illustrious  Pontiff  (Pius  IX)  is  a  man  of 
no  ordinary  sanctity.     He  has  already  filled  the  highest  posi- 


Infallibility  of  the  Popes.  403 

tion  in  the  Church  for  upwards  of  thirty  years,  'a  spec- 
tacle to  the  world,  to  angels,  and  to  men,'  and  no  man 
can  point  out  a  stain  to  his  moral  character.  And  yet, 
Pius  IX,  like  his  predecessors,  confesses  his  sins  every 
week.  Each  morning,  at  the  beginning  of  Mass,  he  says  at 
the  foot  of  the  altar,  'I  confess  to  Almighty  God,  and  to  His 
Saints,  that  I  have  sinned  exceedingly  in  thought,  word,  and 
deed.'  And  at  the  Offertory  of  the  Mass  he  says:  'Receive, 
O  Holy  Father,  almighty,  everlasting  God,  this  oblation  which 
I,  Thy  unworthy  servant,  offer  for  my  innumerable  sins, 
offenses,  and  negligences.'  " 

"With  these  facts  before  their  eyes,  I  canuot  comprehend 
how  ministers  of  the  Gospel  betray  so  much  ignorance,  or  are 
guilty  of  so  mudh  malice,  as  to  proclaim  from  their  pulpits, 
which  ought  to  be  consecrated  to  truth,  that  Infallibility 
means  exemption  from  sin.  I  do  not  see  how  they  can  bene- 
fit their  cause  by  so  flagrant  perversions  of  truth." 

"Finally,  the  inerrability  of  the  Popes,  being  restricted  to 
questions  of  faith  and  morals,  does  not  extend  to  the  natural 
sciences,  such  as  astronomy  or  geology,  unless  where  error 
is  presented  under  the  false  name  of  science,  and  arrays  itself 
against  revealed  truths.  It  does  not,  therefore,  concern  itself 
about  the  nature  and  motion  of  planets.  Nor  does  it  regard 
purely  political  questions,  sucli  as  the  form  of  government  a 
nation  ought  to  adopt,  or  for  what  candidates  we  ought  to 
vote." 

Thus  we  have  from  the  words  of  the  best  of  authority 
tTiat  Infallibility  does  not  mean  any  of  the  gross  charges  which 
have  been  preferred  against  it.     A  Pope  is  not  above  other 


404  Christian  Persecutions. 

men,  except  tliat  his  great  learning  and  piety  have  made  him 
an  acceptable  candidate  for  this  exalted  position.  Possibly 
Protestants  may  not  know  that  when  a  Pope  ascends  the 
Papal  chair  he  is  a  man  of  mature  years,  when  human 
ambition  and  passions  are  on  the  wane.  "His  personal  ex- 
penses do  not  exceed  a  few  dollars  a  day.  He  eats  alone  and 
very  abstemiously.  He  has  no  wife,  no  children  to  enrich  with 
the  spoils  of  office,  as  he  is  an  unmarried  man.  The  Popedom 
is  not  hereditary,  like  the  sovereign  of  England,  but  elective, 
like  the  office  of  our  President,  and  the  Holy  Father  is  suc- 
ceeded by  a  Pontiff  to  whom  he  is  bound  by  no  family  ties." 

While  Protestants  often  regard  the  Pope  as  a  man  of  arbi- 
trary power,  yet  we  find  him  past  the  prime  of  life,  elected  by 
his  associates  because  of  his  power  of  understanding,  because 
of  his  ability  to  govern  his  Church,  and  because  he  has  proved 
by  his  life  a  worthy  successor  of  those  who  have  preceded  him. 
We  also  find  him  outside  of  the  affairs  of  state,  with  no  politics 
and  no  desires  to  dictate  what  others  shall  do  or  say.  His 
mission  is  to  interpret  the  laws  of  the  Church,  and  in  all  mat- 
ters of  religion  or  faith  he  stands  as  the  exponent,  the  In- 
fallible guide  and  the  highest  authority.  As  the  Supreme 
Court  is  the  infallible  exponent  of  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  so  is  the  Pope  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
Church. 

"The  Pope,  therefore,  be  it  known,  is  not  the  maker  of 
divine  law;  he  is  only  its  expounder.  He  is  not  the  author  of 
revelation,  but  only  its  interpreter.  All  revelation  came  from 
God  alone  through  His  inspired  ministers,  and  it  was  com- 
plete in  the  beginning  of  the  Church.    The  Holy  Father  has 


Infallibility  of  the  Popes.  405 

no  more  authority  tjiani  you  or  I  to  break  one  iota  of  the 
Scripture,  and  he  is  equally  with  us  the  servant  of  the  divine 
law." 

To  more  forcibly  impress  my  readers  with  the  duties  of  the 
office  of  Pope  as  it  refers  to  the  Church  and  State,  I  will  again 
quote:  "The  Pope's  InfalHbility,  therefore,  does  not  in  any 
way  trespass  on  civil  authority;  for  the  Pope's  jurisdiction 
belongs  to  spiritual  matters,  while  the  duty  of  the  State  is  to 
provide  for  the  temporal  welfare  of  its  subjects." 

"When  a  dispute  arises  in  the  Church  regarding  the  sense 
of  Scripture,  the  subject  is  referred  to  the  Pope  for  final  ad- 
judication. The  Sovereign  Pontiff,  before  deciding  the  case, 
gathers  around  him  his  venerable  colleagues,  the  Cardinals  of 
the  Church;  or  he  calls  a  council  of  his  associate  judges  of 
faith,  the  Bishops  of  Christendom;  or  he  has  recourse  to  other 
lights  which  the  Holy  Ghost  may  suggest  to  him.  Then, 
after  mature  and  prayerful  deliberation,  he  pronounces  judg- 
ment, and  his  sentence  is  final,  irrevocable,  and  Infallible." 

Not  long  ago,  while  discussing  the- Infallibility  of  the  Pope, 
I  read  to  my  friend  the  above  quotations,  s'howing  that  even 
in  the  Pope's  decisions  of  disputes  he  does  not  depend  upon 
his  ov;n  wisdom,  but,  like  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
who  summons  his  cabinet  for  advisement,  so,  too,  does  the 
Pope  summon  his  Cardinals,  or  Bishops,  for  advice  in  all 
important  anid  essential  principles  relating  to  the  Church.  My 
friend  remarked  that  the  Pope  might  not  call  the  Cardinals 
and  Bishops,' but  depend  upon  wisdom  derived  from  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  as  such  would  interpret  the  law  without  the  aid 
of  his  associates,  but  would  &tiU  be  Infallible,     My  friend 


406  Christian  Persecutions. 

seemed  to  appreciate  the  efforts  made  .by  the  Cardinals  to 
select  omly  such  an  one  as  was  eminently  qualified  to  fill  the 
position  of  Pope,  but  was  fearful  that  the  inspiration  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  might  'not  be  interpreted  without  error,  while  a 
full  discussion  by  Cardinals,  or  Bishops,  would  be  a  better 
exposition  of  divine  truth. 

Here,  again,  were  the  outcroppings  of  doubt,  prejudice, 
and  a  misunderstanding.  My  friend  was  afraid  to  trust  the 
judgment  of  the  Pope,  who  would  become  the  dreaded  one- 
man  power,  which  Protestants  seem  to  fear  so  much.  Such  is 
usually  the  sentiment  of  all  those  who  oppose  the  Catholic 
Church.  They  know  that  in  all  organizations,  no  matter 
what  is  its  nature,  be  it  local,  secret,  or  government,  there 
must  be  some  head,  power,  or  governing  influence,  to  guide, 
or  control.  Without  a  directing  hand  to  point  out  the  path 
of  duty  and  to  hold  and  sustain  discipline,  there  cannot  be 
harmony.  As  the  general  stands  at  the  head  of  his  army 
to  give  instruction  to  his  subordinates,  so,  too,  stands  the 
Pope  at  the  head  of  his  Church  to  preserve  hannony,  to 
explain  Scripture,  to  define  the  duties  of  faith  and  worship, 
and  in  this  exposition  there  can  be  no  doubt  and  no  appeal. 
His  decision  becomes  final  and  Infallible.  His  is  the  highest 
court  in  the  Church.  He  is  the  Chief  Justice,  the  elected 
power  to  prescribe,  the  recognized  authority,  and  while  he 
calls  his  Cardinals  and  Bishops  to  advise  and  to  give  wisdom, 
yet  it  is  not  because  of  a  necessity,  but  to  insure  a  perfect  and 
undeniable  decision. 

One  form  of  opposition  against  Papal  Infallibility  is  that 
he  has  no  right  to  interpret  the  Bible,  or  any  passage  thereof. 


Infallibility  op  the  Popes,  407 

Ministers,  in  preaching  against  this  Infallibility,  are  loiid  in 
their  declaration  of  individual  rights  to  read  the  Word  of 
God  and  determine  for  themselves  the  truths  contained 
therein.  They  seem  to  believe  that  a  Pope,  Bishop,  or  Priest, 
has  no  right  to  explain  the  divine  truths  of  the  Scriptures, 
but  at  the  same  time  they  declare  that  they  themselves  feel 
the  presence  of  God,  they  pray  that  his  servant  shall  be  filled 
with  wisdom,  that  the  Holy  Ghost  shall  enter  his  heart,  and 
that  his  words  shall  be  the  inspiraticwi  of  that  Spirit.  They 
teadli  from  the  most  approved  commentaries,  and  constantly 
explain  divine  instruction.  While  they  deny  to  others  the 
right  of  instruction,  yet  they  ask  that  their  expositions  shall 
be  accepted  as  the  Infallible  doctrine  of  faith  and  worship, 

A  prominent  Protestant  Bishop  once  said,  when  discuss- 
ing the  right  of  the  Pope  to  explain  the  Scriptures :  "For  my 
part,  I  have  an  infallible  Bible,  and  this  is  the  only  infallibility 
that  I  require."  Possibly  this  Bishop  may  be  able  to  inter- 
pret every  passage  of  Scripture  exactly  as  it  is  designed  by 
God;  if  he  can,  then  he  is  infallible,  and  he  has  delegated  tc 
himself  exactly  what  he  denies  to  the  Pope.  If  he  cannot 
positively  uinderstand  and  explain  every  passage  of  the  Bible, 
he  may  look  for  someone  who  can,  and  again  he  denies  this 
right  to  those  whose  duty  it  is  to  announce  these  explana- 
tions. Therefore  this  Bishop  is  either  infallible  or  he  is  not. 
If  he  is  not  then  he  must  find  someone  who  is,  otherwise  he 
is  not  competent  to  teach  a  perfect  doctrine  of  faith  and 
salvation,  and  if  he  is  infallible  then  he  becomes  his  own 
Pope. 

But  is  this  taie?    Does  he  correctly  interpret  the  infallible 


408  Christian  Persecutions. 

doctrine  of  Christ?  If  he  does,  then  the  one  hundred  other 
denominations  who  take  the  Bible  as  their  standard  of  au- 
thority must  be  in  error.  If  one  out  of  the  one  hundred  is 
right,  then  ninety  and  nine  must  be  wrong.  Now,  there  can 
be  but  one  true  version,  and  yet  each  deniomination  has  made 
its  own  infallible  doctrine  from  the  same  source.  Is  this  not 
the  result  of  individual  study?  And  when  we  place  the  Bible 
in  the  hands  of  every  seeker  after  truth  and  tell  him  to  teach 
himself,  have  we  not  imposed  upon  him  a  burden  which  he 
cannot  possibly  understand?  If  the  wisest  theologians  cannot 
agree  there  may  be,  after  all,  some  grounds  for  conferring 
upon  the  Popes  this  Infallibility  and  thus  prohibit  the  never- 
ceasing  controversy  which  must  be  the  result  where  there  is 
no  defined  authority,  and  beyond  which  there  is  no  appeal. 
Thus  is  it  not  demonstrated  that  it  becomes  an  absolute  neces- 
sity tliat  there  must  be  some  authorized  and  unerring  inter- 
preter? 

For  this,  and  only  this,  has  the  Church  rested  its  final  au- 
thority in  the  hands  of  the  Pope.  To  do  otherwise  would  be 
impossible  and  still  retain  a  perfect  union.  Destroy  this 
authority  and  you  destroy  the  rock  of  its  foundation.  It  is 
the  compass,  the  lighthouse,  and  the  pilot,  without  which  the 
Church  must  flounder  in  confusion  and  chaos.  The  wonder- 
ful spread  of  Christianity  through  all  the  nations  ol  the  earth 
is  due  to  the  acknowledged  authority  to  direct,  control,  and 
sustain.  Had  there  been  no  head,  the  jealous  rivalry  of  con- 
tending forces  would  have  brought  disaster  and  ruin.  As 
governments  require  a  court  of  final  resort,  so,  too,  does  the 
Church  require  its  Pope,  who  is  and  must  be  the  Infallible 


Infallibility  of  the  Popes.  409 

guide  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  Church. 
Many  Protestants  are  not  willing  to  recognize,  nor  do  they 
comprehend,  that  the  Catholic  Church  holds  an  unbroken  line 
of  Church  sovereignty  from  fhe  Apostle  Peter  to  the  present 
day.  For  over  eighteen  hundred  years  they  can  trace  a  per- 
fect succession  of  the  two  hundred  and  sixty  Popes,  with  the 
name  of  each,  his  date  of  assuming  the  chair,  his  time  of 
sovereignty,  his  church  work,  and  the  time  and  manner  of 
his  death. 

From  the  Bible,  as  well  as  the  Church,  we  find  that  Peter 
was  the  recognized  and  the  appointed  head  from  the  year  42 
to  the  year  67.  That  he  was  so  appointed  must  be  recognized 
by  every  Christian  denomination.  It  is  true  that  some  pro- 
fessed Christians  deny  that  any  special  power  was  conferred 
upon  Peter  by  which  he  was  to  hold  and  sustain  the  Church. 
But  if  we  believe  the  New  Testament  there  can  be  no  doubt 
but  on  him  was  laid,  the  responsibility  of  Church  government, 
as  well  as  to  preach  repentance.  If  you  do  not  believe  in 
Divine  Scripture  then  you  may  deny  any  or  all  of  the  acts 
of  Providence,  as  well  as  to  deny  the  existence  of  irnmortality. 
But  if  you  believe  in  the  words  of  Jesus,  you  must  concede 
that  when  He  addressed  Peter,  as  he  did  in  Matthew  xvi,  that 
there  must  have  been  a  meaning.  Either  Christ  meant  what 
he  said,  or  He  did  not.  If  he  meant  it,  which  he  did,  for 
Jesus  in  his  teachings  always  meant  exactly  what  he  said,  then 
you  must  accept  his  words  just  as  they  are  written. 

"And  I  say  unto  thee,  that  thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this 
rock  I  will  build  my  Church:  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not 
prevail  against  it. 

(27) 


410  Christian  Persecutions, 

"And  I  will  give  unto  thee  the  keys  of  the  king-dom  of 
heaven:  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on  earth,  shall  be 
bound  in  heaven:  and  whatsoever  thou  shall  loose  on  earth, 
shall  be  loosed  in  heaven." 

Now,  whait  is  this  meaning?  Is  it  for  you  or  for  me  to 
question  its  assertion,  or  to  present  a  different  explanation? 
No  language  could  be  more  explicit,  or  more  direct.  "Thou 
art  Peter;  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  Church,  and 
the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it." 

Again,  we  find  in  the  language  of  our  Saviour:  "I,  the 
Supreme  Architect  of  the  universe,  will  establish  a  Church 
which  is  to  last  till  the  end  of  time.  I  will  lay  the  foundation 
of  this  Church  so  deep  and  strong  on  the  rock  of  truth  that 
the  winds  and  storms  of  error  shall  not  prevail  against  it. 
Thou,  O  Peter,  shalt  be  the  foundation  of  this  Church.  It 
shall  never  fall,  because  thou  shalt  never  be  shaken;  and 
thou  shalt  never  be  shaken,  because  thou  shalt  rest  on  Me, 
the  rock  of  truth." 

THius  do  we  have  the  positive  assurance  that  Peter  is  the 
rock  of  the  Church,  the  foundation  upon  which  error  cannot 
prevail,  and  as  He  has  declared  that  "I  will  give  unto  thee 
the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven:  and  whatsoever  thou 
shalt  bind  on  earth,  shall  be  bound  in  heaven;  and  whatsoever 
thou  shalt  loose  on  earth,  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven." 

Was  greater  power  ever  conferred  upon  man,  than  that 
every  act  should  be  accepted  as  perfect?  Peter  was  made,  not 
only  the  rock  upon  which  the  Church  should  rest,  but  he 
should  be  above  error,  infallible,  and  incapable  of  expressing 
a  false  doctrine  of  worship. 


Infallibility  of  the  Popes.  411 

No  other  disciple  was  given  this  power  of  infallibiHty,  but 
being  appointed  to  stand  at  the  head  of  Christianity,  to  teach 
divine  truths,  and  to  advance  the  Church  in  its  influence 
among  men,  he  must  be  endowed  with  the  gift  of  truth  and  the 
power  to  hold  and  sustain  this  truth. 

Again,  we  find  in  the  XXl  Chapter  of  St.  John,  that  Jesus, 
after  having  arisen  from  the  dead,  said  unto  Peter:  "Feed 
my  lambs;  feed  my  sheep."  And  to  impress  upon  him  more 
firmly  this  injunction  He  three  times  repeats  to  Peter,  "feed 
my  sheep." 

Thus  do  we  find  that  Peter  is  appointed  by  our  Lord  to 
be  the  universal  shepherd  of  His  flock,  and  were  we  to  follow 
this  divine  injunction,  as  it  must  relate  to  the  Church,  we 
will  find  that  as  Peter  was  the  shepherd  of  all  the  people,  so, 
too,  would  the  Pope  be  the  shepherd  of  all  his  people,  that 
he  "must  feed  the  flock,  not  with  the  poison  of  error,  but  with 
the  healthy  food  of  sound  doctrine;  for  he  is  not  a  shepherd, 
but  a  hireling,  who  administers  pernicious  food  to  his  flock." 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE  VIRGIN  MARY. 

pEW  Protestants,  if  any,  understand  the  true  relation  thai 
A  religiously  exists  between  the  Catholics  and  the  Virgin 
Mary.  They  do  not  understand  why  she  is  so  warmly  ana 
earnestly  loved  and  honored,  or  why,  in  the  fullness  of  devo- 
tion to  their  faith,  the  Catholics  kneel  before  her  image,  or 
stand  in  solemn  veneration  before  her  picture.  Protestants 
see  these  acts  of  loyalty,  of  faithful  gratitude,  and  of  deep  and 
lasting  veneration,  but  they  do  not  comprehend  its  meaning. 
They  do  not  understand  the  sweet  aflfection,  the  purity  of  pur- 
pose, and  the  sublime  relation  existing  between  the  Blessed 
Virgin  and  the  Son  of  God. 

Protestants  look  upon  the  picture  of  the  Mother  of  Jesus 
just  as  they  would  upon  the  likeness  of  some  renowned  char- 
acter. It  excites  their  curiosity,  but  they  are  not  moved  to 
a  feeling  of  holy  piety.  Having  critically  examined  it  as  a 
work  of  art,  they  turn  to  other  curiosities,  but  not  once  do 
they  have  in  their  hearts  a  serious  thought  of  pious  love  for 
these  representatives  of  divine  existence.  Again,  as  they 
stand  before  the  image  of  Christ  on  the  Cross,  they 
think  not  of  the  sacrifice  of  the  body,  the  mortal  pain,  the 
redemption  of  sin,  or  the  salvation  of  mankind.  To  them  it 
is  an  idol  representing  a  historic  past,  a  figure  of  history,  and 
an  emblem  of  Catholic  worship.  They  do  not  appreciate  th^ 
filial  afifection  of  the  devout  Catholic.    It  was  never  taught  to 


The  VipGiN  Mary.  413 

them  in  their  infancy,  and  has  never  been  impressed  upon 
their  minds  as  a  reverence  due  to  Christ,  the  Savior  of  man, 
and  the  Son  of  God.  Without  these  impressions  they  cannot 
appreciate  the  feeHngs  and  the  motives  of  the  true  Catholic. 

These  things  are  not  written  from  imagination,  but  from 
reahty.  The  author  knows  whereof  he  speaks,  having  numer- 
ous times  stood  within  the  Caithohc  sanctuary  of  divine  wor- 
ship, but  experienced  no  feehng  of  reverence  for  God.  His 
eyes  rested  upon  the  beautiful  works  of  art,  but  not  upon  the 
beautiful  thoughts  of  divinity.  He  uncovered  his  head,  be- 
cause he  was  in  the  Church  of  God,  but  not  because  it  was 
a  sanctified  place  of  worship.  He  saw  kneeling  worshipers, 
and  while  he  silently  respected  their  solemn  meditations,  yet 
the  thought  of  bending  the  knee  before  the  throne  of  Grace 
never  entered  his  mind.  It  was  not  veneration,  but  curiosity, 
that  prompted  him  to  gaze  upon  the  image  of  Christ  and  his 
Sainted  Mother.  He  saw  the  pictures  of  the  saints,  the  altar, 
the  saored  vestments,  but  he  could  not  comprehend  the  beau- 
tiful conceptions  that  were  carried  to  the  hearts  of  those  who 
knew  its  meaning.  He  saw  the  vessels  containing  holy  water, 
but  he  could  not  realize  the  sympathetic  feelings  of  divine 
love  and  affection.  He  saw  the  worshipers  make  the  sign  of 
the  cross,  but  this  act  of  piety  was  to  him  but  the  formal  act 
pertaining  to  a  peculiar  ceremonial,  and  not  in  remembrance 
of  Him  who  suffered  crucifixion. 

Thus  it  is  regarding  Protestant  veneration  of  Catholic 
worship.  They  see  the  image  of  Christ,  or  that  of  the  Virgin 
Mary,  but  beyond  the  seeing  there  is  no  responsive  feeling. 
To  them  it  is  sculptured  art  representing  historic  characters. 


414  Christian  Persecutions. 

But  why,  you  may  ask,  is  this  so?  Why  are  Protestants  not 
responsive  with  feelings  of  love  and  adoration  for  the  loved 
figures  of  Catholic  faith?  Why  does  the  eye  see  and  the  heart 
not  feel?  Protestants  worship  Christ,  then  why  do  they  not 
venerate  his  image?  They  know  that  the  Virgin  Mary  was 
the  mother  of  Jesus ;  then  why  do  they  not  honor  her  with  all 
the  veneration  due  this  wonderful  creation  of  God?  While 
these  questions  may  seem  hard  to  answer,  yet  they  can  be 
easily  explained.  It  is  a  lack  of  teaching,  of  study,  and  of 
thbughtfulness.  It  is  not  taught  to  them  in  their  infancy,  in 
their  boyhood,  or  in  their  manhood.  They  were  never  taught 
that  the  eyes  should  first  behold  before  the  heart  could  conceive 
the  impressions  of  divine  love  and  faith.  The  Catholic  child  is 
taught  that  the  image  of  Christ  is  the  counterpart  of  the 
original,  not  an  idol  of  worship,  but  the  representative  of  that 
Divine  Teacher.  He  is  taught  to  reverence  it,  to  kneel  before 
it,  to  kiss  the  crucifix,  to  bow  the  head  at  Angelus'  bells,  to 
venerate  the  Virgin  Mary,  the  saints,  the  martyrs,  and  all 
those  who  were  chosen  by  God  to  fulfill  the  plan  of  salvation. 
These  children  are  taught  to  love  and  revere  every  character 
that  was  associated  with  Christ,  and  every  person  that  was 
near  and  dear  to  Him  on  earth. 

As  we  love  to  look  at  the  portrait  of  a  dear  friend, 
so,  too,  are  they  taught  to  look  upon  the  face  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  as  the  reflection  of  that  dear  Mother  who  gave  to  the 
world  the  Savior  of  man.  We,  who  are  mature  in  life,  love 
to  stand  before  the  picture  of  our  own  mother  and  allow  our 
thoughts  to  revert  to  the  days  of  our  boyhood,  when  that 
mother  watched  over  us  with  care,  when  we  went  to  her  for 


The  Virgin  Mary.  415 

consolation,  when  we  begged  her  to  intercede  for  us  and 
mitigate  the  stem  demands  of  the  father,  when  she  labored 
for  us,  prayed  for  us,  and  with  patient  love  and  motherly 
affection,  would  lay  down  her  life  for  us.  Who  of  us  can 
hold  the  portrait  of  a  loved  one  and  not  feel  the  spirit  of 
affection  that  always  creeps  into  the  soul  as  we  think  of  the 
love  that  once  crowned  the  joy  of  our  existence?  Who  can  say 
that  such  contemplations,  such  affection  that  comes  to  us 
through  the  eye,  is  not  real?  That  it  is  not  love,  or  reverence, 
for  the  dead?  This  being  true  of  those  who  have  shared  our 
earthly  joys  and  sorrows,  why  should  not  the  same  reverence 
and  affection  extend  to  those  who  have  labored  for  us  through 
the  divine  power  of  God? 

We  are  taught  to  recognize  and  revere  the  Apostles  as 
models  of  holiness,  of  purity,  and  sacred  in  the  history  of 
the  Divine  purpose.  We  do  this  because  they  were  the  fol- 
lowers of  Jesus,  and  were  selected  by  Him  to  preach  the 
doctrine-  of  salvation.  But  how  much  more  should  we  love 
the  Being  who  gave  Him  birth,  whose  breast  was  His  pillow, 
who  nursed  and  clothed  Him  in  infancy,  who  guided  His  early 
steps,  who  accompanied  Him  in  His  exile  to  Egypt,  who 
abode  with  Him  from  infancy  to  boyhood,  from  boyhood  to 
manhood,  who  constantly  listened  to  His  words  of  wisdom, 
who  was  the  first  to  embrace  Him  at  His  birth,  and  the  last 
to  receive  His  dying  breath  on  Calvary?  If  this  nearest  and 
dearest  earthly  association  is  not  entitled  to  our  homage,  our 
deepest  veneration,  then  indeed  is  Christianity  cold  and  cruel. 

The  Catholic  faith  is  not  a  cold  and  formal  expKDsition  of 
divine  truth.     It  is  full  to  overflowing  with  veneration,  love. 


416  Christian  Persecutions. 

and  affection.     There  is  not  a  spot  of  earth    where  trod  the 
Son  of  God,  that  is  not  sacred  in  the  memory  of  this  blessed 
reHgion.    The  manger  at  Bethlehem,  the  streets  of  Nazareth, 
the  land  of  Judea,  the  mount  of  Calvary,  are  sacred  to  the 
memory  of  Him  who  gave  his  life  that  we  might  live.    Cath- 
olics are  taught  to  cherish  these  historic  places  as  a  part  of 
the  veneration  due  that  holy  period  of  our  world's  existence. 
As  we  honor  the  memory  of  Washington,  and  give  expres- 
sion of  it  in  a  thousand  ways,  so  do  they  honor,  or  venerate, 
the  memory  of  Mary,  the  memory  of  the  Apostle  Peter,  or  the 
memory  of  the  legion  of  martyrs  who  gave  their  lives  in  de- 
fense of  Christian  virtue,  in  defense  of  the  Holy  Sepulcher, 
the  Bible,  the  Church,  and  the  worship  of  God.    While  Prot- 
estants cannot  appreciate  this  religious  veneration,  this  wor- 
ship of  God  through  His  representatives  of  Divine  love,  yet 
they  can  understand  why  the  tomb  of  Washington  is  sacred 
to  the  heart  of  the  true  American.    Visit  this  spot  of  national 
reverence,  and  you  instinctively  feel  that  you  are  in  the  pres- 
ence of  some  powerful  influence,  some  venerated  association, 
and  some  honored  dead.     As  you  approach  the  sepulcher  of 
this  renowned  chieftain,  you  bare  your  head  in  solemn  rever- 
ence, you  cease  your  levity,  and  you  bend  your  knee  in  fervent 
prayer.     Why  this  deep  respect,  this  worship  of  God,  before 
the  doors  of  the  dead?    Is  not  this  idolatry?    Is  the  grave  of 
Washington  more  sacred  than  fhe  grave  of  Jesus?     Is  the 
pile  of  masonry  a  more  sublime  subject  of  remembrance  than 
the  cross  of  crucifixion?     No.     But  why  this  love  of  venera- 
tion towards  one  and  its  lack  towards  another?    This  is  made 
clear  by  teaching  the  child.    The  moment  the  child  compre- 


The  Virgin  Mary.  ilT 

hends  national  existence  it  is  taught  that  Washingfton  was 
the  Father  of  his  country,  that  he  was  a  devoted  patriot,  that 
his  wonderful  energies  made  him  a  conquering  hero,  that  his 
statesmanship  was  pure  and  loyal,  and  that  he  stands  to-day 
consecrated  in  the  history  of  the  American  Republic.  The 
child  also  learns  that  the  22d  day  of  February  is  the  day  of 
his  birth:  that  the  4th  of  July  is  the  birth  of  Independence,  and 
thait  Mount  Vernon  is  the  resting-place  of  our  cherished  dead. 
Constantly  do  these  remembrances  arise  in  its  mind.  It  hears 
the  eloquence  of  oratory,  sees  the  display  of  patriotism  and 
becomes  enthused  with  this  grand  demonstration  of  venera- 
tion. Thus  the  child  grows  to  manhood,  educated  to  revere 
Washington's  memory,  his  work  in  the  cause  of  independence, 
and  his  marvelous  achievements  under  great  difficulties. 

We  thus  manifest  our  admiration  for  our  historic  dead,  as 
does  the  .Catholic  Church  manifest  its  veneration  for  the 
Mother  of  Jesus. 

"Monuments  and  statues  are  erected  to  her.  Tlirice 
each  day,  at  morn,  noon,  and  even,  the  Angelus  bells 
are  rung  to  recall  to  our  mind  the  Incarnation  of  our 
Lord,  and  the  participation  of  Mary  in  this  great  mystery 
of  love.  Her  shrines  are  tastefully  adorned  by  pious  hands 
and  visited  by  devoted  children,  who  wear  her  reUcs,  or  any 
object  that  bears  her  image,  or  which  is  associated  with  her 
name.  Her  natal  day,  and  other  days  of  the  year  sacred  to 
her  memory,  are  appropriately  commemorated  by  proces- 
sions, by  participation  in  the  banquet  of  the  Eucharist,  and  by 
sermons  enlarging  on  her  virtues  and  prerogatives. 

"As  no  one  was  ever  suspected  of  loving  his  country  and 


418  Christian  Persecutions. 

her  (institutions  less  because  of  his  reverinig  Washington, 
so  no  one  can  reasonably  suppose  that  our  homage  to  God 
is  diminished  by  our  fostering  reverence  for  Mary.  As  our 
object  in  eulogizing  Washington  is  not  so  much  to  honor 
the  man  as  to  indicate  those  principles  of  which  he  was  the 
champion  and  exponent,  and  to  express  our  gratitude  to  God 
for  the  blessings  bestowed  on  our  country  through  him,  even  so 
our  motive  in  commemorating  Mary's  name  is  not  merely  to 
praise  her,  but  still  more  to  keep  us  in  perpetual  remembrance 
of  our  Lord's  Incarnation,  and  to  show  our  thankfulness  to 
Him  for  the  blessings  wrought  through  that  great  mystery  in 
which  she  was  so  prominent  a  figure.  Experience  sufficiently 
demonstrates  that  the  better  we  understand  the  part  which 
Mary  has  taken  in  the  work  of  redemption,  the  more  enUght- 
ened  becomes  our  knowledge  of  our  Redeemer  Himself;  and 
that  the  greater  our  love  for  her,  the  deeper  and  broader  is  our 
devotion  to  Him,  while  experience  also  testifies  that  our  Sav- 
iour's attributes  become  more  confused  and  warped  in  the 
minds  of  a  people  in  proportion  as  they  ignore  Mary's  rela- 
tions to  Him.  I 

"The  defender  of  a  beleaguered  citadel  concentrates  his 
forces  on  the  outer  fortifications  and  towers,  knowing  well 
that  the  capture  of  these  outworks  would  endanger  the  citadel 
itself,  and  that  their  safety  involves  its  security. 

"Jesus  Christ  is  the  citadel  of  our  faith,  the  stronghold  of 
our  soul's  afifection.  Mary  is  called  the  'Tower  of  David,' 
and  the  gate  of  Sion  which  the  Lord  loveth  more  than  all  the 
tabernacles  of  Jacob,  and  which  He  entered  at  His  Incar- 
nation. 


The  Virgin  Mary.  419 

"So  intimately  is  this  living  gate  of  Sion  connected  with 
Jesus,  the  Temple  of  our  faitl^,  that  no  one  has  ever  assailed 
the  former  without  invadiing  the  latter.  The  Nestorian 
would  have  Mary  to  be  only  an  ordinary  mother,  because  he 
would  have  Christ  to  be  a  mere  man. 

"Hence,  if  we  rush  to  the  defense  of  the  gate  of  Sion,  it  is 
because  we  are  more  zealous  for  the  city  of  God.  If  we  stand 
as  sentinels  around  the  tower  of  David,  it  is  because  we  are 
more  earnest  in  protecting  Jerusalem  from  invasion.  If  we 
forbid  profane  hands  to  touch  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  it  is 
because  we  are  anxious  to  guard  from  profanation  the  Lord 
of  the  ark.  If  we  are  so  solicitous  about  Mary's  honor,  it  is 
because  'the  love  of  Christ'  presseth  us.  If  we  will  not  per- 
mit a  single  wreath  to  be  snatched  from  her  fair  brow,  it  is 
because  we  are  unwilling  that  a  single  feature  of  Christ's 
sacred  humanity  Should  be  obscured,  and  because  we  wish  that 
He  should  ever  shine  forth  in  all  the  splendor  ol  His  glory, 
and  clothed  in  all  the  panoply  of  His  perfection." 

The  above,  showing  why  Catholics  venerate  the  Virgin 
Mary,  was  taken  from  the  "Faith  of  Our  Fathers,"  by  Cardi- 
nal Gibbons,  and  expresses  beautifully  the  reasons  for  their 
love  and  veneration.  By  using  his  words,  we  are  enabled  to 
more  clearly  set  forth  that  what  many  Protestants  call  wor- 
ship is  merely  cold  formality.  They  have  never  studied  the 
strength  and  cause  of  this  Catholic  love,  and  are  ignorant  of 
its  meaning.  They  see  only  outward  representations,  and 
cannot  comprehend  the  holy  love  they  feel  for  Christ  and  his 
Sainted  Mother.  Like  the  Nestorians,  they  look  upon  Mary 
as  an  ordinary  woman,  but  differ  as  to  the  divine  origin  of 


420  Christian  Persecutions. 

Christ.  While  they  look  upon  the  Savior  as  the  source  of  our 
Christianity,  our  faith,  and  our  salvation,  yet  they  carelessly 
pass  this  Mother  by  as  being  a  character  merely  of  pleasing 
remembrance,  but  not  of  any  special  nearness  to  God.  Tthey 
do  not  call  her  blessed,  for  they  were  never  taught  what  that 
means.  They  even  doubt  the  purity  of  her  life  and  the  name 
she  bears.  They  say  that  the  birth  of  Christ,  as  understood, 
is  inconsistent  with  nature,  that  it  is  not  a  reasonable  conclu- 
sion, nor  is  it  at  all  probable.  Here  let  me  say  to  my 
Protestant  friends:  If  you  doubt  that  Mary  was  a  virgin  of 
divine  origin,  that  she  knew  no  defilemenit,  no  sin,  no  unholy 
thought  or  action,  then  you  may  doubt  the  divinity  of  Christ, 
the  miracles  of  God,  and  the  existence  of  immortality.  Analyze 
the  purposes  of  God,  and  you  will  find  that  Christ  could  not 
exist  in  sin,  with  sin,  or  come  from  sin.  That  as  He  was 
pure  and  holy,  so,  too,  must  His  germ  of  existence  "be  pure 
anid  holy.  To  be  otherwise  would  be  an  impossibility,  and  a 
contradiction  of  divine  law.  As  like  begets  like,  as  nature 
is  true  to  nature,  and  as  finite  is  finite,  and  infinite  is  infinite, 
so  too  must  Christ,  who  is  pure,  holy,  and  Infinite,  be  con- 
ceived by  the  same  elements  of  purity  of  which  He  is,  He 
has  been,  and  ever  will  be.  To  doubt  for  a  moment  this 
purity  of  conception,  is  to  cast  an  element  of  sin  into  the  exist- 
ence O'f  God.  You  believe  that  Christ  came  into  the  world 
pure  and  holy.  You  believe  in  the  miracles  He  performed,  the 
lessons  He  taught,  the  persecution,  the  betrayal,  the  crucifix- 
ion, and  the  resurrection.  You  believe  He  left  the  gospel  of 
repentance  for  all  Christianity,  and  salvation  for  all  men. 
Then  why  close  the  gates  to  your  belief  in  this  most  important 


The  Virgin  Mary.  421 

of  all  the  miracles  of  God?  What  was  feeding  the  multitude, 
relieving  the  afflicted,  or  even  the  raising  of  the  dead,  when 
compared  with  the  divine  necessity  of  a  perfect  origin?  Those 
testimonies  of  God's  power  on  earth  are  as  nothing  when  com- 
pared to  the  impossible  existence  of  an  imperfect  Infinity. 

It  is  from  this  standpoint,  therefore,  that  we  must  judge  the 
jealous  love  of  the  Catholics  for  their  religion.  They  see  the 
nakedness  of  suspicion,  and  the  impossible  existence  of  an  In- 
finite Being  of  finite  origin.  They  see  that  to  love  and  venerate 
Mary  is  but  a  part  of  their  sublime  faith  in  the  everlasting  truths 
of  God.  As  they  bless  the  day  that  Christ  came  into  the  world, 
so  do  they  bless  the  Mother  who  gave  this  God  gift  to  man. 
The  one  they  worship,  the  other  they  love,  venerate,  and 
honor.  Christ  is  the  hope  of  immortality,  and  Mary  the 
blessed  origin  of  the  child  Jesus. 

Protestants  seem  to  imagine  that  Catholics  worship  the 
Virgin  Mary;  that  because  of  their  love  and  veneration  for 
her,  she  is  the  object  of  their  adoration;  that  because  they 
kneel  before  her  shrine  they  lose  sight  of  God,  and  their  wor- 
ship becomes  individual,  and  not  that  which  should  be  directed 
to  the  Divinity.  They  seem  to  think  that  it  is  a  species  of  idol 
atry,  that  God  must  be  displeased,  that  He  is  robbed  of  t 
part  of  the  glory  due  Him,  that  it  is  making  of  Mary  a  divine 
being,  an  object  of  worship,  and  thus  we  become  guilty  of  a 
violation  of  the  commandments  of  God.  They  seem  to  feel 
grieved  at  this  lack  of  wisdom,  this  lack  of  understanding, 
and  think  Catholics  should  be  pitied  for  their  ignorance.  The 
truth  is,  Protestants  know  nothing  of  the  deep,  loving  grati- 
tude that  every  Catholic  feels  for  the  Mother  of  Jesus,  and 


422  Christian  Persecutions. 

as  they  kneel  in  supplication  before  the  Throne  of  Grace, 
they  can  see  no  higher  form  of  homage,  no  stronger  evidence 
of  filial  affection,  no  more  devout  form  of  worship,  than  to 
pray  in  the  presence  of  an  image,  or  a  picture,  of  the  Sainted 
Virgin.  Are  Protestants  so  blind  as  to  imagine  that  Catholics 
cannot  distinguish  the  relationship  that  exists  between  the 
picture  of  Mary,  or  the  picture  of  Jesus,  and  the  originals? 
Can  they  believe  that  Catholics  pray  to  these  images  and  not 
to  the  God  who  is  behind  them? 

When  individuals  sa}'^  it  is  mockery,  or  an  act  of  unholy 
piety,  to  venerate  Mary,  to  kiss  the  lips  of  her  portrait,  or  to 
bless  her,  they  are  totally  ignorant  of  the  thoughts  and 
motives  of  those  who  love  to  worship  God,  and  to  testify  by 
their  acts  their  unbounded  gratitude  to  Him.  While  Prot- 
estants may  believe  that  these  acts  of  affection  are  but  reg- 
ular requirements  prescribed  by  rule,  they  have  no  evidence 
except  that  which  their  own  coldness  and  their  own  teachings 
furnishes.  Because  they  have  no  desire  to  venerate  the 
Mother  of  Jesus,  they  can  neither  see  nor  feel  any  affection  in 
the  acts  of  others.  As  the  Atheist  says  that  there  is  no  God, 
so  did  the  Reformers — and  all  Protestantism  sprang  from  the 
Reformation — declare  that  to  venerate  Mary  is  to  worship  at 
the  displeasure  of  God.  As  they  were  taught  this,  so  have 
they  practiced  this  cold  and  inhuman  conduct.  It  is  not 
natural  to  be  cold  and  formal  while  in  the  presence  of  purity 
and  loveliness.  No  being  can  deny  the  beauties  of  nature 
and  art.  We  were  created  to  love  all  things  beautiful  and 
we  cannot  deny  it.  We  may  fail  to  see  the  grandeur  of  divine 
beauties  unless  taught  how  to  appreciate  them.    We  may  not 


The  Virgin  Mary.  423 

understand  that  the  mind  is  the  camera  of  our  'existence,  the 
origin  of  inspiration,  the  power  of  passion,  the  inclination 
for  evil,  or  the  source  of  good.  But  so  it  is.  By  it  we  rise 
or  fall,  by  it  we  have  faith  or  distrust,  by  it  we  love  or  hate, 
and  as  we  receive  the  instructions  of  others  so  do  we  transmit 
them  to  those  we  love  and  cherish.  Teach  your  boy  that 
the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  was  only  a  woman,  and  he  will 
grow  to  manhood  devoid  of  affection  for  her;  but  teach  him 
that  she  was  a  Sainted  Mother,  remind  him  of  this  great  con- 
nection between  God  and  man,  and  whenever  he  stands  before 
her  image,  or  her  picture,  he  will  renew  his  affection,  his 
homage,  and  his  veneration. 

We  visit  an  art  gallery  and  gaze  with  delight  and  admira- 
tion on  the  beautiful  works  of  art.  We  praise  their  loveliness, 
their  beauties  of  conception,  their  perfection,  and  wonder 
how  the  brush,  or  chisel,  can  transform  the  barren  canvas,  or 
the  cold  marble,  into  tbe  vision  of  a  seeming  reality.  In 
praising  these  beautiful  pictures,  do  you  disihonor  the  artist 
who  wrought  them?  Does  not  all  the  praise  which  you  bestow 
belong  to  the  one  who  fashioned  these  beauties?  If  the  artist 
should  overhear  your  exclamations  of  joy,  would  he  frown 
with  displeasure?  But  utter  a  remark  of  contempt,  of  unjust 
criticism,  or  of  ignorant  disapproval,  and  a  blaze  of  indigna- 
tion bursts  from  his  eyes.  While  he  may  not  retort  with 
words,  yet  he  scorns  your  presence  and  spurns  you  as  he 
would  an  adder.  It  is  no  longer  a  pleasure  for  him  to  dis- 
play tc»  you  his  treasures.  You  trampled  upon  the  tender 
feelings  of  his  affection,  and  you  may  never  regain  his  con- 
fidence. 


424  Christian  Persecutions. 

Agam,  you  examine  some  intricate  and  perfect  mechan- 
ism, you  declare  it  is  a  wonderful  invention,  a  blessing  to 
mankind,  and  the  work  of  a  master  mind.  Do  you  dishonor 
the  inventor  by  these  words  of  praise?  'Are  your  exclama- 
tions of  appreciation  distressful  to  him?  Is  he  not  grateful 
for  your  approval  and  your  interest  in  him?  But  belittle  the 
grandeur  of  his  achievements,  and  what  have  you  done?  Tell 
him  you  distrust  his  wisdom  wlien  you  can  see  its  perfect 
work,  and  he  will  distrust  your  reason,  your  power  of  under- 
standing, and  to  him  you  are  as  nothing — a  mere  speck  of 
infidelity  and  ignorance,  a  being  dead  to  the  world  of 
progress.  And  is  he  not  right?  You  saw  his  work.  It  was 
perfect.  Millions  clapped  their  hands  in  their  appreciation  of 
his  victory.  You,  alone,  stand  there  doubting,  and  yet  you 
see  its  work,  its  marvelous  power,  and  its  perfect  constmc- 
tion. 

Again,  you  visit  a  man  who  is  proud  of  his  mother,  who 
loves  her,  who  sees  only  perfection  in  her  every  act,  who 
labors  for  her,  and  would  protect  her  in  all  the  storms  of  life. 
You  say  to  the  man,  what  a  lovely  mother  you  have;  she 
seems  so  pure,  so  angelic,  so  devoted.  Would  not  a  blush 
of  happiness  suffuse  his  cheek?  Would  he  not  clasp  your 
hand  in  joy  and  aflfection?  But  instead  you  say,  I  would  like 
to  visit  with  you,  but  your  mother  is  distasteful  to  me;  will 
you  have  her  leave  the  room?  Can  you  imagine  the  result? 
As  he  loves  his  mother,  so  will  he  hate  you;  and  in  the  pas- 
sion of  an  aroused  nature  he  will  say.  Depart  from  me;  you 
have  disgraced  my  presence  by  blaspheming  against  my 
mother,  T  will  not  harbor  your  presence,  and  may  curses 
follow  your  footsteps. 


The  Virgin  Mary.  425 

What  is  your  verdict?  You  all  exclaim  that  the  visitor 
was  a  poor,  ignorant,  debased  being,  and  not  worthy  a  place 
in  Christian  society.  He  had  lost  his  manhood  by  insulting 
the  son  in  his  own  home.  This  is  exactly  the  condition  of 
Protestants  in  their  relations  with  the  Virgin  Mary.  While 
they  may  not  ask  that  she  shall  be  cast  aside,  yet  she  is 
ignored  as  being  specially  favored  of  God.  She  gave  birth 
to  Jesus,  but  not  as  a  special  dispensation  of  Divine  Power. 
To  them  there  is  no  stronger  connection  than  the  relation  of 
birth.  The  divinity  of  Christ  had  not  made  sacred  the  vessel 
of  His  conception.  His  Incarnation  had  cast  no  luster  over 
His  Sainted  Mother.  It  was  Chrif*-  md  Christ  alone,  whom 
they  honor,  venerate,  and  worship.  Mark  the  contrast.  With 
Catholics  Mary  is  the  beautiful  work  of  art,  the  perfect 
mechanism,  and  the  idolized  mother.  In  praising  this  perfect 
work  of  God,  and  in  kneeling  in  reverence  before  her,  you  but 
receive  the  blessings  of  Him  who  sees  it  and  blesses  you  for 
it,  and  the  more  you  honor  her  the  greater  pleasure  you  find 
in  the  sight  of  God.  Mary  is  his  handiwork,  his  model  of 
perfection,  and  the  means  by  which  Jesus  came  into  the  world. 
To  praise  and  love  His  work  is  to  praise  and  honor  Him. 
You  cannot  call  her  too  beautiful,  too  perfect,  or  too  worthy. 
You  cannot  honor  her  too  often,  nor  can  you  displease  God 
in  any  of  your  acts  of  veneration.  She  is  Jesus'  Mother,  and 
to  kneel  to  her,  to  invoke  her  intercession,  is  but  to  please 
Christ  in  your  homage  and  filial  aflfection.  He  sees  the  act 
of  love  and  gratitude  and  feels  that  it  is  to  Him  you  render 
praise. 

The  love  of  the  devout  Catholic  is  so  great  for  Mary   that 

(?8) 


426  Christian  Persecutions. 

not  a  temple  or  chapel,  how  rude  soever  it  may  be,  but  is 
adorned  with  a  painting  or  a  statue  of  the  Madonna.  There 
is  no  house  that  is  not  embellished  with  an  image  of  Mary, 
and  no  Catholic  child  is  a  stranger  to  her  famihar  face. 

"The  priest  and  the  layman,  the  scholar  and  the  illiterate, 
the  prince  and  the  peasant,  the  mother  and  the  maid,  ac- 
knowledge her  benign  sway." 

"And  if  Christianity  is  so  fruitful  in  comparison  with 
paganism,  in  conjugal  fidelity,  in  female  purity,  and  in  respect 
paid  to  womanhood,  these  blessings  are  in  no  small  measure 
due  to  the  force  of  Mary's  all-pervading  influence  and  exam- 
ple. Ever  since  the  Son  of  God  chose  a  woman  to  be  His 
mother,  man  looks  up  to  woman  with  a  homage  akin  to 
veneration.'' 

The  chief  reason  given  why  Protestants  are  so  lukewarm 
in  their  praises  of  the  mother  of  Jesus,  is  that  they  were  never 
educated  to  revere  her.  But  why  were  they  not  so  educated? 
Why  were  they  not  taught  to  see  her  as  she  was  and  as  she 
is?  Why  were  they  not  taught  to  study  her  character,  the 
purity  of  her  life,  her  relationship  to  God,  and  the  beautiful 
example  she  set  for  us  to  imitate?  These  reasons  are  easily 
answered,  and  although  Protestants  may  seek  to  deny  the 
charge,  yet  it  is  true  and  must  be  accepted  as  the  only  solution 
of  this  seeming  cold  and  almost  cruel  neglect  w'hich  is  charged 
against  them  by  the  Catholics.  It  is  because  the  practice  of 
veneration  is  Catholic.  The  sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  a-nid  these 
acts  of  piety,  date  from  the  beginning  of  Christianity.  They 
have  ever  honored  and  venerated  the  Virgin  Mary.  For  fif- 
teen hundred  years  the  whole  Christian  world  bowed  before 


The  Virgin  Mary.  427 

the  Mother  of  Jesus.  As  the  Catholic  cherishes  the  crucifix 
as  the  emblem  of  martyred  faith,  so  too,  does  he  cherish  the 
remembrance  of  Mary  as  the  origin  of  the  Incarnation  of 
our  Savior,  The  one  represenits  life  and  birth,  the  other  faith 
and  death.  These  two  sacred  periods  of  existence  receive  the 
strongest  veneration  known  to  the  Catholic  faith.  The  picture 
of  the  Sainted  Mother  fills  the  heart  with  love  and  affection, 
while  the  cross  is  that  deeper  feeling  which  stirs  the  soul  in 
its  adoration  of  God.  Deny  these  cherished  representatives 
of  life  and  death,  and  you  destroy  the  beauties  of  the  Catholic 
worship  of  God.  Deny  the  cross  of  crucifixion,  and  you  deny 
Jesus  Christ,  who  surrendered  His  life  for  the  salvation  of 
man.  Deny  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  you  deny  his  existence  as 
the  Son  of  God. 

Again  I  say  to  my  Protestant  friends,  the  practice  is  Cath- 
olic, and  you  have  inherited  the  antagonistic  doctrine  of  the 
Reformation.  Is  it  not  true  that  you  do  not  teach  your  chil- 
dren that  the  Mother  of  Jesus  was  pure,  holy,  and  without  sin? 
Why  have  you  never  taught  this?  Is  it  not  because  it  is 
Catholic?  Because  it  is  a  part  of  the  Catholic  faith?  Because 
in  the  great  struggle  of  Reformation  you  sought  a  separate 
and  distinct  doctrine  of  Christianity?  Is  it  not  true  that  it  has 
ever  been  the  aim  of  Protestantism  to  go  as  far  from  the 
Catholic  practice  as  possible?  You  recognize  Christ  because 
you  could  not  be  Christians  if  you  did  not.  You  believe  Him 
to  be  the  Son  of  God,  the  great  source  of  salvation,  and  the 
Infinite  Man,  You  believe  the  Bible  is  a  book  of  inspirations, 
that  it  is  the  Divine  Truth,  and  the  Word  of  God,  As  you 
believe  these  things,"  then  why  do  you  ignore  the  study  of  the 


428  Christian  Persecutions. 

character  of  Mary?  You  write  volumes  on  the  life  of  Christ, 
but  scarcely  mention  the  name  of  His  Mother,  and  yet  thi's 
Blessed  Being  was  almost  constantly  with  him  from  the 
cradle  to  the  crucifixion.  She  consoled  him  during  the 
agonizing  moments  on  Calvary,  and  she  ran  to  his  sepulcher 
on  the  morn  of  his  resurrection.  Why  then  have  you  cast 
her  aside  as  only  a  woman  and  a  mother?  Is  it  nothing  to 
be  the  earthly  mother  of  such  a  being  as  Jesus?  Is  she  not 
entitled  to  all  the  veneration  that  it  is  possible  for  your  soul 
to  give?  Can  you  honor  her  without  honoring  Him?  Can 
you  love  Him  less  by  clasping  her  to  your  heart?  No,  these 
things  are  impossible.  Catholics  love  the  Sainted  Mother 
because  she  was  the  chosen  instrument  of  God  to  bless  the 
world  through  the  birth  of  Jesus.  Now,  is  it  not  your  duty 
to  honor  and  love  her?  She  has  earned  your  affections,  and 
were  you  to  kneel  before  her  shrine  at  morn,  noon,  and  even, 
you  could  never  praise  God  more  sweetly,  more  fervently, 
nor  more  purely.  If  God  blessed  her,  and  through  His  divine 
power  she  became  the  instrument  of  salvation  by  th€  birth 
of  Jesus,  we  need  have  no  hesitation  in  pressing  our  lips  to 
her  brow,  in  loving  her  devotion  to  God,  in  revering  her  purity 
of  character,  and  in  praising  God  for  this  knowledge  of  His 
divine  power. 

It  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  quote  any  particular  passage 
of  Scripture  to  prove  the  divine  right  to  love  and  venerate 
the  Virgin  Mary.  I  will  only  ask  you  to  read  for  yourself. 
You  need  not  search  diligently,  for  if  you  will  but  read  you 
will  find  constantly  recurring  evidence  of  this  miracle  of  God. 
You  will  find  that,  besides  being  a  woman  and  a  mother,  she 


The  Virgin  Mary.  429 

was  holy  and  pure,  that  she  was  sanctified  for  the  purpose  of 
the  Incarnation  of  our  Lord,  and  as  such,  she  must  have 
been,  and  is  to-day,  the  most  sainted  soul  in  all  the  treasures 
of  heaven.  How,  then,  can  you  say,  "I  love  my  Redeemer," 
and  not  in  the  same  breath  bless  the  mother  who  bore  him? 
As  Christ  came  into  the  world  to  teach  men  how  to  live,  how 
to  worship,  and  how  to  die,  so,  too,  was  Mary  the  great  ex- 
emplar of  Christian  virtues,  and  in  her  sainted  life  she  ever 
stands  as  a  perfect  model  for  the  followers  of  all  mankind. 

The  Catholic  Church  ever  holds  up  for  the  contemplation 
of  her  children  the  beautiful  portrait  of  the  Virgin  Mary. 
They  are  taught  to  study  it,  that  they  may  thereby  the  better 
admire  the  original,  and  by  admiring  they  may  love,  and 
loving,  they  may  imitate,  and  thus  become  more  dear  to  God 
by  being  made  "conformable  to  the  image  of  His  Son,"  of 
whom  Mary  is  the  most  perfect  mirror. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

SISTERS  OF  CHARITY. 

A  A  Y  friends,  did  you  ever  stop  to  consider  the  mission  of 
■^  "  ■*■  the  Sisters  of  Charity?  Did  you  ever  stop  to  investi- 
gate the  marvelous  organization  of  this  institution,  its  ahnost 
universal  presence  among  the  poor  and  afflicted,  the  consecra- 
tion of  womanhood  to  the  relief  of  distress,  and  her  wonderful 
devotion  to  the  true  principles  of  human  kindness?  "If  you 
have  never  seriously  thought  of  who  and  what  they  are,  I 
most  earnestly  ask  you  to  follow  me  for  a  few  moments,  until 
we  have  uncovered  some  of  these  deeds  of  charity,  some  of  the 
modest  achievements  of  this  band  of  silent  and  yet  devoted 
followers  of  Christian  love,  of  gracious  deeds  of  reUef,  and  of 
their  zealous  piety  and  devotion. 

Sisters  of  Charity.  Do  you  know  them?  You  do,  and  yet 
you  do  not.  You  know  them  from  the  history  of  what  the 
world  has  been  pleased  to  describe  unto  you.  You  have  read 
of  their  devotion  to  the  relief  of  human  suffering  and  of  human 
poverty.  You  read  the  almost  constantly  recurring  report  of 
some  good  Sister  Samaritan  who  appears  on  the  scene  of 
necessity,  and  as  a  matter  of  fact,  performs  the  work  of  the 
emergency,  and  then  disappears  with  the  same  silent  unob- 
servation  as  was  manifested  in  her  coming.  This  history  is  so 
familiar  to  you  that  not  even  curiosity  prompts  you  to 
wonder  who  gave  this  relief  and  What  is  the  real  motive  that 
prompts  its  execution.     This  is  about  all  that  you  know.    You 

430 


Sisters  of  Charity.  431 

have  seen  and  heard,  and  yet  you  did  not  reahze  what  a  sweet 
messenger  of  love  had  ministered  to  the  wants  of  distress. 

She  came  and  she  went,  having  left  the  beautiful  impress 
of  her  charity  and  her  devotion.  The  afflicted  felt  the  pure 
touch  of  her  fidelity  to  Christian  virtue,  but  the  world  was 
ignorant  of  this  noblest  of  all  noble  deeds — the  gift  of  relief 
without  money  and  without  price.  In  her  coming  there  was 
no  announcement  of  one  who  had  earned  the  public  acclama- 
tions of  merit  and  renown.  There  had  been  no  recognition  of 
brilliant  achievements,  no  approval  of  the  mental  victory  in 
tlie  attainment  of  science,  no  kingly  honor  because  of  fame 
and  ambition,  and  no  crown  of  glory  to  be  given  by  a  proud 
and  grateful  populace.  In  her  coming  there  was  no  earthly 
reward  but  the  glad  heart  of  the  afflicted,  and  no  ambition  to 
satisfy  except  the  ambition  to  do  God's  will  in  the  relief  of  a 
poor,  distressed  humanity.  She  came  as  a  duty,  to  lift  the 
burdens  of  despair,  to  soothe  the  last  moments  of  the  dying, 
to  care  for  the  orphans,  to  make  a  home  for  the  homeless,  to 
encourage,  to  inspire,  to  hope,  to  love,  to  point  out  the  paths 
of  virtue,  and  to  save  from  perdition  the  soul  of  a  mortal  being. 

The  ambition  of  the  world  is  to  produce  some  great  institu- 
tion of  amazement,  and  not  the  simplicity  of  meekness.  If  it 
is  charity,  it  must  be  on  such  a  scale  as  to  excite  the  approba- 
tion and  applause  of  a  people.  But  to  bear  the  cup  of  relief 
with  the  silent  step  of  an  unheralded  mission,  is  to  the  world 
a  lost  fragrance,  an  ignored  and  unknown  virtue,  and  a 
blessedness  of  character  that  is  not  appreciated  only  by  those 
who  feel  the  tender  devotion  of  this  Christ-like  manifestation 
of  a  true  Angel  of  Mercy.    Not  only  are  they  not  appreciated 


432  Christian  Persecutions. 

by  the  giddy  fashion  of  inconsistency,  but  because  there  is  no 
pomp  .nor  glory  in  these  ministrations  of  good,  because  they 
have  surrendered  the  ties  that  bound  them  to  home,  to  for- 
tune, and  to  worldly  pleasure,  and  because  they  have  dedicated 
their  lives  to  the  service  of  affliction.  For  these  reasons  of 
voluntary  action  of  worthiness,  and  because  the  world  was 
not  consulted  as  to  when,  how,  and  why,  they  must  therefore 
point  the  finger  of  scorn,  ridicule  the  motive  of  the  one  who 
gives  this  sacrifice,  and  actually  defame  the  spirit  of  noble 
womanhood  in  their  acts  of  Christian  charity. 

For  shame,  brothers,  to  harbor  for  even  one  moment  the 
suspicion  of  one  thought  of  unholy  devotion.  In  your 
thoughtless  observances  you  unconsciously  fall  into  the  pit 
of  ignorance.  Whenever  you  drop  a  word  of  disbelief,  of  re- 
proach to  fidelity,  of  purity  of  character,  of  honest  motives,  you 
are  defaming  the  worthiest  inspirations  of  goodthat  have  ever 
animated  the  heart  of  woman.  Because  no  one  rises  up  to 
defend  them  from  your  sneer,  from  the  loose  jest  of  your 
sarcasm,  do  not  think  they  are  beneath  the  nobleness  of  your 
own  mother,  your  own  sister,  your  own  wife,  or  your  own 
daughter.  Remember  that  the  hand  that  is  stretched  out  in  the 
cause  of  human  kindness  is  a  woman's  who,  in  the  nobleness 
of  a  true  heart,  gives  her  life  for  the  benefit  of  others.  In  all 
the  realms  of  duty,  is  there  a  consecration  so  grand  and  beau- 
tiful ."n  its  purity  of  conception  as  this?  Can  you  paint  a  pic- 
ture so  full  of  the  grandeur  of  devotion  as  is  this? 

You  are  selfish.  You  see  the  world  in  all  the  brilliant  dis- 
play of  fashion  and  beauty.  You  believe  that  the  sole  sphere 
of  woman  is  to  be  the  butterfly  of  vanity,  or  the  slave  to  cir- 


Sisters  of  Charity.  433 

rumstances.  In  your  health  and  happiness  you  turn  aside 
from  the  wants  of  the  needy,  the  afBicted,  and  those  who  are 
sorely  distressed.  To  you  there  is  but  one  field  of  labor,  and 
that  wherein  you  can  best  earn  the  pleasures  of  existence  and 
■avoid  the  harrowing  scenes  of  misery  and  want.  You  have 
no  care  for  the  millions  of  God's  creatures  who  are  daily  suf- 
fering from  disease,  from  poverty,  and  from  the  evils  of  a 
misspent  life.  You  say  that,  as  it  is  the  result  of  their  own 
sin,  they  have  earned  their  misery;  that  it  is  but  the  just 
deserts  of  the  disobedience  of  law.  You  have  no  patience,  no 
humanity,  no  feelings  of  pity,  and  no  sorrow  for  these  penalties 
of  disobedience.  You  have  lived  your  life  in  the  strict  observ- 
ance of  a  moral,  and  as  the  world  says,  an  honorable  manhood, 
and  because  of  your  morality,  you  spurn  from  your  doorsteps 
those  who  have  fallen. 

If  this  was  all,  if  you  had  denied  only  those  who  were 
seeking  the  gifts  of  your  charity,  you  might  stand  higher  in 
the  scales  of  human  justice,  but  the  sin  of  injustice  is  worse, 
a  thousandfold  worse,  when  you  curl  your  lip  "in  scorn  as  you 
notice  that  the  good  Samaritan  did  not  turn  from  the  stranger 
and  pass  on  the  other  side,  who  was  not  so  absorbed  in  the 
mad  scramble  of  life  that  he  could  not  administer  to  the 
afflicted,  who  did  not  upbraid  him  for  his  sins  and,  like  your- 
self, spurn  him  from  the  wayside.  You  see  this  good  Samari- 
tan, this  Sister  of  Charity,  alleviate  his  misfortunes  and  press 
to  his  parched  lips  the  draught  of  kindness.  You  see  her  do 
this  and  more.  You  see  her  seek  to  restore  his  manhood,  to 
teach  him  repentance,  and  yet  you  toss  your  head  in  scorn, 
you  attribute  some  unholy  unworthiness  to  these  faithful  crea- 


434  Christian  Persecutions. 

tures  who,  to  do  the  work  of  Christ,  whom  you  profess  to 
worship,  come  in  the  same  lowly  garb  of  meekness  as  did  the 
Saviour  of  Bedilehem. 

Now,  my  friends,  let  me  ask  you,  w<liy  have  you  done  this? 
Why  do  you  attribute  any  other  motive  than  that  which  you 
see  in  these  noble  acts  of  Christian  charity?  Have  you  ever 
seen  an_act,  or  heard  a  word  spoken,  that  would  betray  even 
the  suspicion  of  a  cause  for  your  ingratitude?  Have  you  ever 
heard  from  any  reliable  authority  or  by  any  authority  what- 
ever, that  (these  Samaritans  are  not  the  purest  in  character,  the 
sweetest  in  benevolence,  the  most  womanly,  and  the  most 
Christian  of  all  women  in  existence?  Have  you  any  reason 
whatever,  except  that  derived  from  idle  slander,  for  not  weigh- 
ing out  to  them  the  full  measure  of  their  worth?  Have  you 
formed  any  reasonable  excuse  for  not  honoring  them  for  tlie 
chosen  field  of  their  usefulness?  Can  you  believe  in  your  heart 
that  such  creatures  can  harbor  even  the  shadow  of  shame,  of 
remorse,  or  of  infidelity  to  their  womanhood? 

But  you  do  not  base  your  judgment  upon  the  real  acts  of 
existence.  You  hear  tlie  preposterous  slanders  coming  from 
the  polluted  sources  of  such  motorious  impostors  as  Maria 
Monks  and  then  say,  see  what  a  woman  says  against  woman. 
Such  characters  are  not  worthy  even  the  silent  contempt  of  an 
honest  man  or  woman,  and  I  ask  you  to  consider  the  history 
of  these  polluted  creatures  who  rise  up  to  defame  the  hands 
who  seek  to  restore  womanhood  even  in  its  debased  sliame. 

Had  there  been  no  sin,  no  depravity,  no  missteps  in  life, 
no  unfortunate  poor,  there  would  have  been  no  call  for  the 
mission  of  charity.     They  are  not  there  for  the  pleasures  of 


Sisters  op  Charity.  435 

earth,  or  the  pleasures  of  existence,  except;,  as  their  benevo- 
lence gives  to  them  the  love  of  consecrated  duty  to  bring 
relief^  and  the  love  of  being  the  instrument  of  God  to  raise 
man  from  the  depravity  of  misery  and  want.  Theirs  is  a  con- 
scientious duty  to  dedicate  their  powers  of  existence  to  the 
sweet  and  sublime  efforts  of  relieving  distress,  of  comforting 
the  desolate,  and  whispering  the  words  of  peace  and  consola- 
tion. 

Mark  the  contrast.  You  encourage  vice  and  poverty  by 
not  placing  your  hand  against  the  stream  of  social  crime  that 
feeds  it.  They  expose  their  lives  in  battling  with  that  which 
you  cross  to  the  other  side  to  avoid.  They  take  from  their 
basket  of  poverty  the  last  crust  to  feed  the  destitute,  while  you 
spurn  from  your  door  the  unfortunate  poor,  just  as  did  the 
rich  man  deny  the  crumbs  of  his  table  to  Lazarus.  They  will 
seek  to  raise  the  fallen,  although  he  may  be  the  most  despised 
wretch  in  existence,  but  you  fear  to  soil  your  clothes  in  a  con- 
tact with  vice  and  misery.  They  will  enter  the  dens  of  infamy, 
and  as  they  stop  to  stanch  the  flow  of  blood  from  an  unfor- 
tunate victim,  a  hush  falls  upon  those  present,  vice  for  a  mo- 
ment is  forgotten,  the  presence  of  purity  is  a  strength  greater 
than  sin,  and  as  this  Sister  becomes  a  ministering  angel,  there 
will  be  no  depth  of  infamy  that  will  mock  at  'her  efforts,  or  will 
whisper  her  name  in  any  connection  except  as  it  blesses  and 
reverences  the  being  that  is  before  them.  The  idle  tongue  of 
jest  is  silenced,  the  thought  of  mother  and  sister  comes  back 
to  them  in  all  the  force  of  a  sweet  reco'lkction.  That  woman, 
that  Sister  is  safe  in  that  den  of  infamy,  and  were  you,  sir,  to 
enter  and  cast  one  word  of  reproach,  a  syllable  of  slander, 


436  Christian  Persecutions. 

or  an  unchristian  sentiment  of  baseness,  those  men,  who  have 
drank  the  cup  of  disgrace,  of  immorality,  and  of  crime,  will 
rise  up  in  the  defense  of  her  whom  you  seek  to  dishonor. 

Why,  may  I  ask,  does  this  unappreciative  world  not  praise 
these  deeds  of  noble  doing?  Why  are  these  silent  Sisters  of 
Mercy,  these  true  Samaritans,  these  devoted  followers  of 
Christ,  cast  in  the  background  of  forgetfulness?  I  will  tell 
you  why.  It  is  from  prejudice  and  not  from  any  foundation 
of  cause.  You  do  not  feel  the  inspiration  of  this  mission ;  you 
do  not  conceive  the  holy  duty  that  should  inspire  all  men  in 
the  elevation  of  truth  and  honor;  you  do  not  understand  the 
true  sentiments  of  Christianity.  These  things  are  beyond 
your  realization  of  duty  and  justice,  and  as  you  are  floundering 
in  the  slough  of  ignorance,  you  ascribe  a  motive  that  is  not 
pure  and  holy.  You  have  never  studied  this  sacrifice;  you 
cannot  understand  how  it  is  possible  to  consecrate  the  pure  life 
of  woman  to  the  relief  of  humanity.  You  may  see  how  man 
may  spring  to  the  service  of  his  country,  how  he  may  imperil 
his  life  to  rescue  the  fire-caught  victim  or  the  shipwrecked 
mariners,  but  you  do  not  consider  that  this  same  spirit  may 
actuate  woman,  and  by  it  she  may  ignore  the  pleasures  of  life, 
and  seek  at  all  times  to  aid  in  the  relief  of  poor,  distressed 
humanity.  It  requires  no  more  courage  or  sacrifice  for  you 
to  obey  the  order  to  charge,  than  it  does  for  her  to  bind  up  the 
wounds  of  the  bleeding  soldier,  to  soothe  the  delirium  of  fever, 
or  to  nurse  back  to  life  the  shattered  form  of  chivalry.  While 
the  world  is  ever  ready  to  cheer  you  on,  to  welcome  you,  to 
ring  the  praises  of  heroism  from  shore  to  shore  and  from  con- 
tinent to  continent,  yet  they  are  silent  to  the  just  dues  of  her 


Sisters  of  Charity.  437 

who  follows  in  the  footsteps  of  war,  of  bloodshed,  and  of  dis- 
ease. 

But  what  is  this  prejudice,  this  lack  of  appreciation  due 
these  noble  Sisters?  Is  it  not  because  they  are  Catholic? 
Have  you  not  been  taught  in  your  infancy,  in  your  boyhood, 
in  your  manhood,  that  there  is  and  ought  to  be  a  prejudice? 
Have  you  not  been  shown  what  exists  in  imagination  and  not 
in  reality?  Were  you  not  taught  from  the  Reform  opposition 
of  the  sixteenth  century,  or  from  the  rebellion  of  Henry  VHI? 
Were  you  not  raised  in  a  condition  of  semi-unbelief;  that  there 
is  a  secret  undercurrent  in  the  Catholic  Church  that  is  not 
Christian;  that  the  motives  of  rehef  are  not  a  sincere  desire 
to  be  what  it  represents,  that,  after  all,  there  may  be  a  fountain 
of  iniquity  we  know  not  of? 

You  seek  to  deny  that  it  is  because  it  is  Catholic,  but  there 
is,  and  there  can  be,  no  other  reason.  Your  prejudice  has 
made  it  so.  You  have  inherited  it  from  your  ancestors.  You 
may  not  be  to  blame  for  what  was  born  in  your  constitution, 
but  you  arc  to  blame  for  not  being  consistent,  for  not  investi- 
gating, for  not  looking  upon  the  other  side.  You  see  the 
noblest  virtue  of  womanhood  dedicated  to  the  mission  of 
charity,  then  why  not  love  her  for  this  devotion?  You  do  not 
obtain  this  statement  from  hearsay;  you  see  it  in  every  walk 
of  life,  and  in  every  form  of  poverty  and  misery.  You  worship 
Jesus  because  of  His  glorious  promises  of  salvation.  You  see 
Him  going  about  curing  the  sick  and  afflicted,  the  maimed  and 
the  blind.  You  see  Him  teaching  humility,  admonisliing  the 
wicked  to  go  and  sin  no  more,  to  do  unto  others  as  3''ou  would 
that  others  should  do  unto  you.    You  see  the  poverty  of  life, 


438  Christian  Persecutions. 

His  desire  to  raise  tip  those  who  have  fallen,  His  willingness 
and  desire  to  assist  the  needy,  to  relieve  the  lowest  depths  of 
misery,  and  to  teach  Christianity  to  all  men.  You  worship 
God  for  His  manifestation  of  love,  but  when  woman  seeks  to 
emulate  our  Saviour  you  ascribe  to  her  a  motive,  the  nature  of 
which,  and  its  utterance,  oug'h't  to  be  beneath  the  dignity  of  a 
man,  or  a  rational  human  being. 

Read  the  twenty-fifth  chapter  of  Matthew  and  you  need  no 
further  evidence  of  the  great  responsibility  and  duty  that  is 
imposed  upon  all  of  us, 

"Then  sliall  the  King  say  unto  them  on  his  right  hand. 
Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared 
for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world : 

"For  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  meat:  I  was 
thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink:  I  was  a  stranger,  and  ye  took 
me  in:  naked,  and  ye  clothed  me:  I  was  sick,  and  ye  visited  me: 
I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  came  unto  me. 

"Then  shall  the  righteous  answer  him,  saying,  Lord,  when 
saw  we  thee  an  hungered,  and  fed  thee?  or  thirsty,  and  gave 
thee  drink?  When  saw  we  thee  a  stranger,  and  took  thee  in?  or 
naked,  and  clothed  thee?  Or  when  saiw  we  thee  sick,  or  in 
prison,  and  came  unto  thee? 

"And  the  King  shall  answer  and  say  unto  them.  Verily  I 
say  unto  you.  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the 
least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  Me." 

Here  we  ihave  the  divine  promise  of  God,  that  as  we  "have 
done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have 
done  it  unto  Me."  Likewise  we  find  in  the  same  chapter  that  if 
we  deny  those  Wlio  are  an  hungered,  or  thirsty,  or  a  stranger. 


Sisters  op  Charity.  439 

or  naked,  or  sick,  or  in  prison,  then  we  deny  Christ,  and  he 
says:  "Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire,  pre- 
pared for  the  devil  and  his  angels/' 

Before  proceeding  further  in  this  discussion,  let  us  examine 
this  Society,  which  the  world  knows  so  much  of  and  yet  fails 
to  appreciate. 

The  origin  of  the  Daughters  of  Charity,  or 'as  afterwards 
called.  Sister  of  Charity,  dates  back  to  1630,  when  Vincent  de 
Paul,  who,  seeing  the  necessity  of  a  perfect  organization  for 
the  dispensation  of  charity,  instituted  this  Society,  which  has 
grown  and  spread  its  branches  into  every  city  o£  earth. 

But  some  of  you  may  ask,  who  was  Vincent  de  Paul? 
Read  the  record  of  his  works,  the  history  of  his  life,  and  you 
will  find  in  him  one  of  the  noblest  Christians  that  the  world 
has  ever  produced.  His  record  of  good  works  places  him  as 
one  of  the  most  benevolent,  the  most  earnest  in  the  relief  of 
mankind  from  the  enthrallment  of  sin  and  poverty,  the  purest 
in  character,  the  most  devoted  to  truth,  piety,  and  manhood, 
the  most  remarkable  in  learning,  in  organization  of  forces,  and 
in  the  spreading  of  the  true  gospel  of  Christianity.  Of  all  the 
men  that  have  blessed  the  world  for  being  in  it,  none  can  show 
a  record  of  greater  worth,  of  purer  principles  of  conception,  or 
of  grander  attainments  for  good,  than  Vincent  de  Paul.  His 
was  a  life  of  the  most  devoted  consecration,  of  the  loftiest 
deeds  of  benevolence,  of  the  grandest  Christian  devotion,  and 
the  sweetest  love  for  the  ministrations  of  kindness,  of  filiail 
affection  to  all  mankind,  and  to  the  practical  demonstrations  of 
true  Charity. 

This  great  man  was  induced  to  undertake  the  organization 


440  Christian  Persecutions. 

of  charity  by  a  simple  incident  which  occurred  in  1627.  As  he 
was  ascending  the  pulpit  to  preach,  a  lady  approached  him  and 
asked  that  he  should  remember  to  his  congregation  the  pov- 
erty of  a  very  worthy  family  who  was  living  a  league  distant. 
The  thought  of  poverty,  in  the  midst  of  plenty,  touched  his 
heart  with  sympathy  and  in  his  plea  for  relief  he  so  wrought 
upon  his  congregation  that  many  journeyed  through  the  in- 
tense heat  of  the  day  to  render  aid  to  the  distressed  family. 
Vincent  was  much  surprised  at  this  spontaneous  willingness 
to  confer  benefits^  but  at  the  same  time  he  saw  that  charity 
without  a  shepherd  could  not  be  dispensed  with  economy  and 
satisfaction,  therefore  he  brought  into  an  organization  a  band 
of  willing  workers  who,  under  the  name  of  Daughters  of 
Charity,  laid  the  foundation  oi  this  wonderful  society  that  has 
for  more  than  a  century  encircled  the  earth. 

Vincent  entrusted  the  supervision  of  'this  organization  to 
Mile.  Le  Gras,  a  devout  and  enthusiastic  lady.  This  work, 
which  was  so  humble  in  its  origin  but  great  in  its  conse- 
quences, was  eagerly  sought  after  because  of  its  beautiful 
Christian  force  in  the  world  of  charity.  While  Vincent  wished 
to  avoid  the  praises  of  a  grateful  and  appreciative  people,  yet 
his  modesty,  his  silent  ministrations  of  good,  only  made  him 
more  lovable  and  more  to  be  admired. 

But  we  will  not  discuss  the  wonderful  development  of  the 
Sisters  of  Charity,  as  it  took  ro'ot  in  alll  Europe,  in  Asia,  in 
Africa,  in  America,  in  the  Islands  of  the  Pacific,  and  wlierever 
Christianity  was  being  taught  by  the  brave  missionaries  of  the 
Church.  On  the  field  of  battle,  where  the  presence  of  woman 
h^d  never  before  appeared,  there  stood  this  iioble  order  ready 


Sisters  of  Charity.  441 

to  receive  the  last  message  of  the  dying  and  to  relieve  the  un- 
fortunate fallen.  In  hospitals,  in  fever-stricken  localities, 
where  there  was  cholera,  the  plague,  or  wherever  disease,  war, 
or  affliction  was  raging,  there  were  sent  these  Angels  of  Mercy. 

Volumes  have  been  written,  and  volumes  more  may  be 
published^  explaining  the  sacrifice  of  life,  the  privations,  the 
willing  desire  to  obey  the  call  of  duty,  the  tender  ministrations 
of  love,  or  the  complete  surrender  of  self  to  the  wants  of  others, 
and  yet  there  has  not,  nor  can  there  be  expressed  the  full 
measure  of  that  debt  which  the  world  owes  this  unappreciated 
order  of  Charity. 

So  extensive  had  become  the  work  of  these  Sisters  that  it 
was  decided  best  to  place  the  organization  m  the  United  States 
under  a  home  government,  consequently  in  1800  there  was 
estaDlished  at  Emmetsburg,  Maryland,  a  motherhouse,  which 
was  to  govern  all  the  other  houses  in  the  United  States,  but  to 
look  to  Paris,  the  central  head,  for  its  general  instruction. 

Thus  establislhed,  has  the  mission  of  these  Sisters  become 
more  and  more  widespread  as  the  wants  of  distress  have 
demanded  greater  assistance.  In  all  the  prominent  cities  on 
this  continent  do  we  find  the  evidences  of  their  labor  and  their 
devotion,  by  the  magnificent  erection  of  schools,  hospitals, 
asylums,  homes,  and  other  institutions  to  aid  the  relief  of 
poverty  and  affliction. 

In  order  to  sihow  to  our  readers  what  these  organizations 
are  doing,  I  visited  the  Sisters  of  Charity  in  Milwaukee,  Wis., 
and  there  obtained  a  list  of  benevolent  institutions  which  are 
located  in  that  city,  and  which  is  but  a  counterpart  of  what 
exists  in  every  city  of  equal  population.     While  these  works 

(29) 


442  Christian  Persecutions. 

are  not  all  instituted  by  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  yet  they  are  the 
societies  of  women  with  the  same  objects  in  view  and  the  same 
holy  purpose  to  serve,  the  true  objects  of  Christianity. 

I  will  briefly  enumerate  these  societies  and  their  objects 
and  attendance: 

SCHOOL  FOR  YOUNG  GIRLS. 

Number  in  attendance,  309. 

10  Sisters  of  Charity  for  instruction. 
SCHOOL  FOR  BOYS. 

Number  in  attendance^  371. 

II  Sisters  for  instruction. 

ST.  MARY'S  HOSPITAL.  '  i 

Average  number  of  patients,  80. 

Cared  for  during  the  year,  G58. 

Number  of  Sisters  of  Charity,  10. 

Training  sdhool  for  nurses  with  14  pupils. 
ST.  ROSE'S  FEMALE  ORPHAN  ASYLUM. 

Number  of  orphans,  130. 

Number  of  Sisters,  9. 
ST.  VINCENT'S  INFANT  ASYLUM.  i 

Number  of  infants,  271. 

Number  of  Sisters,  8. 
OUR  LADY  OF  ANGELS  ACADEMY. 

Number  of  young  ladies,  86. 

Number  of  Sisters,  9. 
SACRED  HEART  SANITARIUM. 

A  water-cure  Hospital. 

Annual  number  of  patients,  GOO. 


Sisters  op  Charity.  443 

ST.  JOSEPH'S  HOSPITAL. 

Average  number  of  patients,  55. 
Number  during  the  year,  455. 
Number  of  Franciscan  Sisters,  20. 

ST.    ^MELIANUS'   MALE  ORPHAN  ASYLUM  AND  BOYS' 
HOME. 

Number  of  orphans,  157. 

Number  in  Boys'  Home,  37. 

Number  of  Sisters  of  St.  Francis  of  Assisium,  16. 
GIRLS'  HOME. 

Number  not  obtained. 

This  Home  is  under  the  care  of  the  Sisters  of  Mercy. 
LITTLE  SISTERS  OF  THE  POOR. 

Number  of  inmates,  170. 

INDUSTRIAL  SCHOOL  OF  OUR  LADY  OF  CHARITY  OF 

THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD. 

Industrial  School,  78. 

Reservation  Class,  45. 

Reformatory,  85, 
ST.  MARY'S  CONVENT. 

11  Sisters  of  the  Society  of  the  Divine  Saviour. 

These  Sisters  attend  to  the  sick  in  t)heir  own  homes. 

What  can  you  say  of  this  noble  array  of  these  institutions  of 
benevolence?  Who  can  read  of  the  wonderful  deeds  of  in- 
dividual sacrifice  and  then  say  there  is  no  depth  of  purity  of 
purpose  in  all  this  wide  expanse  of  charity?  And  yet  this  is 
but  a  grain  of  sand  in  the  monument  of  doing  thait  stands  to 
the  credit  of  these  Sisters  of  a  true  Christianity.  Not  alone  are 
their  hospitals,  asylums,  homes,  and  institutions  of  relief  found 


444  Christian  Persecutions. 

in  Milwaukee,  but"  they  are  scattered  through  all  the  nations  of 
earth.  Wlhierever  we  find  the  worsihip  of  God  there  we  find  the 
influence  of  some  good  Sister  Samaritan,  who  is  seeking  to 
alleviate  distress,  to  advance  the  welfare  of  mankind,  and  to 
build  up  the  religion  of  Him  who  said:  "Inasmuch  as  ye  have 
done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have  done 
it  unito  Me." 

Now,  my  friends,  we  have  attempted  to  show  you  some- 
thing of  this  most  interesting  of  all  important  institutions. 
You  have  learned  that  it  was  conceived  in  the  simplest  of  all 
beginnings,  that  from  the  one  act  of  charity  in  1627  the  whole 
world  was  made  to  feel  this  wonderful  influence,  and  while  it 
is  impossible  for  me  to  give  an  adequate  history  of  the  millions 
of  blessings  which  have  been  bestowed  by  these  devoted  Sis- 
ters, yet  I  can  thank  God  for  the  inspiration thait  prompted  Vin- 
cent de  Paul  to  organize  woman's  sympathy,  wo'man's  sacrifice, 
and  woman's  filial  devotion  to  the  poverty-stricken  poor,  to 
the  imfortunate  victims  of  disease,  of  suffering,  and  of  the 
grand  spectacle  of  elevating  mankind  from  sin  and  the  depths  of 
infamy.  Can  you  form  in  your  mind  a  sweeter  picture,  a  more 
blessed  representation  of  human  love,  than  these  silent,  lowly, 
and  never-ceasing  scenes  of  charity?  And  yet  there  are  those, 
who  pretend  to  be  Christian,  who  will  raise  that  double-headed 
monster,  slander,  and  allow  it  to  strike  its  fangs  deep  into  the 
quivering  flesh  of  innocence,  and  then  gloat  over  its  brutal 
acts  of  villainy.  If  there  is  a  hell  to  torment  the  souls  of  those 
accursed  defamers,  if  it  could  burn  witih  an  unending  torture, 
such  punishment  would  not  be  too  severe  as  a  just  sentence  for 
this  unholy  blasphemy  against  these  devoted  Sisters, 


Sisters  of  Charity.  445 

If  this  simple  chapter  will  be  the  means  of  allaying  some  of 
this  intemperate  and  inconsistent  prejudice,  and  above  all,  if 
it  will  still  that  monstrous  tongue  of  scandal,  of  mockery,  of 
falsehood,  of  vulgar  insinuations  of  indecency,  and  of  lowest 
cunning,  then  I  shall  feel  that  I  have  not  written  in  vain. 

Once  I  was  just  as  ignorant  of  the  blessings  of  these  minis- 
trations of  love  and  aflfection  as  are  you.  Once  I  did  not  ap- 
preciate their  holy  calling,  but  I  am  proud  to  say  that  there  is 
one  sin  I  sliall  never  be  called  upon  to  answer  for,  and  that 
is  the  sin  of  disrespect,  of  unmanly  speech,  of  infamous  con- 
duct, of  vile  utterances  of  jest  and  ridicule,  or  the  insinuation 
of  a  debased  shame.  And  now,  if  I  can  be  the  means  of  creat- 
ing study  and  reflection,  then  will  the  veil  of  prejudice  be 
raised  and  the  nobleness  of  character  will  shine  forth  in  all 
its  brilliant  splendor,  and  these  gracious  deeds,  Which  God  has 
been  pleased  to  bestow  upon  mankind,  will  rise  up  and  bless 
the  hand  that  guides  them,  and  will  become  an  honor  in  the 
unfolding  of  Christian  virtues. 

Before  closing  this  short  testimony  of  what  we  see  and 
know,  I  wish  to  uncover  one  more  jewel  in  this  wreath  of  ever- 
lasting flowers,  and  this  is  the  jewel  of  poverty.  The  rich,  the 
poor,  the  lowly,  and  the  great,  are  all  placed  upon  the  same 
plane  of  human  kindness.  The  poorest  beggar  will  receive  the 
same  tender  treatment  as  the  count  of  honor.  There  are  no 
distinctions  in  station  or  society,  no  decree  against  unworthi- 
ness,  and  no  respecter  of  persons.  If  it  is  an  enemy  in  afflic- 
tion, they  will  soothe  the  brow  of  distress,  bind  up  the  wounds 
of  misfortune,  and  watch  the  e'bbing  life  of  disease. 

It  is  charity  in  its  fullest  and  deepest  meaning.    There  is  no 


446  Christian  Persecutions. 

pretense  except  that  of  tine  strictest  observance  of  duty.  They 
seek  to  honor  Jesus  in  their  mission  of  love,  and  as  they  scatter 
the  deeds  of  loyalty  they  become  the  true  Samaritans  of  old, 
the  Ang-e'ls  oif  Mercy,  and  the  true  Sisters  of  Charity. 

In  this  chapter  I  have  mentioned  the  Sisters  of  Charity  as 
a  special  society,  and  have  given  them  prominence  over  all 
others,  not  because  ithey  are  more  worthy  than  oither  orders  of 
Sisters,  but  to  follow  one  branch  with  a  particular  name,  giving 
its  origin  and  mission.  To  the  Proteistant  world  the  Sisters  of 
Chaiity  meain  all  who  have  consecrated  their  lives  to  the 
service  of  God  and  the  relief  of  humanity. 

Were  we  to  select  an  order  with  the  greatest  number  of 
commendable  virtues,  it  is  probably  safe  to  say  that  the  "Little 
Sisters  of  the  Poor"  rank  in  patient  humility  and  unrequited 
love  and  honor  with  any,  or  all  of  the  others.  These  Sisters 
do  not  have  even  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  infant  develop 
into  childhood,  or  the  sick  and  the  maimed  restored  to  health 
and  manhood,  but  theirs  is  to  watch  and  guard  the  old  and 
feeble  outcasts  of  society.  A  class  of  people  without  home 
or  friends,  a  class  who  have  lived  beyond  the  usefulness  in  life, 
who  are  childish  in  spirit,  uncongenial  in  manners,  and  who 
are  helpless,  irritable,  uncouth,  disagreeable;  in  fact,  just  that 
class  that  no  one  in  the  wide  world  would  harbor  or  comfort. 
These  Little  Sisters  aicoept  tihis  as  their  dulty,  and  if  God's  bless- 
ing is  to  descend  because  of  one  act  of  human  charity  more 
than  another,  it  should  be  the  prayer  of  all  Christian  people 
that  this  blessing  sihould  fall  upon  these  lowly  creatures  who 
soothe  and  comfort  the  last  hours  of  the  aged  men  and  women 
who  are  homeless,  poverty-stricken,  and  alone  and  friendless. 


Sisters  of  Charity.  447 

When  the  war  with  Spain  was  declared,  President  McKin- 
ley  asked  for  one  hundred  Sisters  of  Charity  to  go  to  the 
camps,  the  battlefields,  and  the  hospitals,  to  nurse  the  sick  and 
the  wounded.  Did  they  respond?  Not  only  did  one  hundred 
offer  their  services,  but  three  hundred  Good  Samaritans  an- 
swered the  call,  and  were  you,  dear  reader,  to  follow  them 
through  the  blighting  scenes  of  disease,  you  would  find  them 
worthy  the  greatest  homage  that  it  is  possible  for  us  to  bestow 
upon  human  beings. 

At  San  Juan  a  Sister  died  while  at  her  post  of  duty.  At  her 
funeral  every  respect  was  bestowed  upon  her  that  was  possible. 
Her  coffin  was  decked  with  the  stars  and  stripes,  and  floral 
offerings  from  ten  thousand  saddened  hearts.  Soldiers  who 
were  camping  miles  away  marched  in  to  bow  their  heads  at 
the  grave  of  this  departed  Sister.  They  had  learned  to  love 
her  for  her  bountiful  gifts  of  affection,  of  tenderness,  and 
devotion. 

Thus  we  find  that  the  world  is  full  of  this  same  generous 
disposition  to  alleviate  distress,  to  sacrifice  their  own  lives  in 
the  rescue  of  others,  and  at  all  times  to  be  the  ministering 
xA.ngels  of  Mercy  to  those  who  are  in  poverty,  in  affliction,  in 
the  feebleness  of  age,  and  in  the  true  spirit  of  Him  who  said : 
"As  ye  'have  done  it  unto  the  least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye 
have  done  it  unto  Me." 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

THE  JESUITS. 

THE  world  in  general  knows  nothing,  absolutely  nothing, 
of  the  Society,  or  Company  of  Jesus.  They  hear  the 
name  Jesuit,  they  understand  that  it  is  Catholic,  they  are  sus- 
picious of  some  Masonic  mystery,  a  secret  organization  of 
religious  power,  a  menace  to  future  liberty,  and  a  something 
that  ought  not  to  be.  This  is  about  as  far  as  the  world  goes 
in  its  knowledge  of  the  origin,  the  purpose,  the  faith,  the  life, 
and  the  mission  of  this  Order. 

The  world  has  never  studied  the  inner  nature  and  motives 
of  the  Jesuit.  It  has  never  cared  to  fathom  the  depths  of 
piety,  the  self-sacrifice,  the  devotion,  the  truth  of  character, 
the  uncomplaining  poverty,  and  the  resistance  of  hatred 
against  those  who  slander  and  vilHfy.  This  same  world  cares 
nothing  for  the  noble  acts  of  benevolence  and  of  forbearance, 
nor  does  it  care  for  the  religious  zeal  and  the  exemplification 
of  Christian  virtues.  But  whisper  a  suspicion  of  evil,  and  it 
rises  in  alarm,  and  as  the  blaze  of  the  incendiary  is  fanned  into 
a  mighty  conflagration,  so  do  the  words  of  slander  become  a 
tempest  of  power  which  engulfs  the  "good  and  strands  the  bark 
of  virtue. 

Good  deeds  are  known  only  when  the  world  delights  to 
honor,  while  evil  report  spreads  as  a  contagion,  a  plague  of 
devastation,  and  the  seeds  of  unbelief. 

Few  people  who  are  not  directly  interested  in  the  mission 

448 


The  Jesuits.  449 

of  the  Jesuits  read  and  remember  their  virtues,  but  the  ear 
catches  the  first  sound  of  distrust  and  the  tongue  of  calumny 
carries  this  morsel  of  news,  and  as  it  is  handed  down  from 
neighbor  to  neighbor,  and  from  gossip  to  gossip,  it  at  last 
becomes  the  tumbleweed  of  inconsistency,  w'hich  flies  with  the 
wind  of  slander,  scattering  the  seeds  of  prejudice,  intoleration, 
and  persecution. 

No  organization,  society,  order,  or  institution  was  ever  so 
villified  and  misunderstood  as  the  Company  of  Jesus.  Many 
people  believe  that  the  Jesuits  are  a  sworn  body  of  Catholic 
priests  who  have  been  and  are  seeking  to  undermine  society, 
law,  and  government.  Not  one  Protestant  in  one  thousand 
has  ever  read  of  its  pious  founder,  or  of  his  wonderful  teach- 
ings of  love  and  forbearance.  They  haven't  even  the  remotest 
idea  of  how  or  when  this  Order  was  founded.  The  name  Jesuit 
is  a  bugbear  of  plotting,  of  hidden  disloyalty,  and  of  terror,  to 
those  poor,  ignorant  beings  who  never  investigate  for  them- 
selves, but  accept  the  assertions  of  others,  and  the  wilder  the 
assertions,  and  the  more  inconsistent  they  are  represented,  the 
more  they  believe. 

"We  shall  not  fight  with  the  sword,  but  with  the  word;  we 
shall  preach  to  men  and  instruct  children ;  we  shall  make  Chris- 
tians by  preaching  and  teaching. 

"We  shall  accept  money  from  no  one  for  praying,  celebrat- 
ing, preaching,  or  teaching,  and  we  shall  be  reproached  for 
this,  for  we  shall  have  other  enemies  than  the  enemies  of  the 
Church. 

"Despite  the  absence  of  any  stipend,  our  poverty  shall  erect 
immense  dwellings  and  shall  scatter  large  alms. 


450  Christian  Persecutions. 

"This  will  be  astonishing,  and  we  shall  be  accused  for  it. 
We  shall  march  on,  with  lowered  heads,  regardless  of  insults, 
and  those  who  outrage  us  we  sliall  love  as  ourselves  for  the 
love  of  God. 

"My  friends  and  my  children,  it  is  hard  to  do  this,  and  it  is 
especially  hard  to  believe  in  it.  The  law  commanding  us  to 
turn  the  other  cheek  is  unnatural  and  so  repugnant  to  the  heart 
of  man  that  when  man  sees  it  obeyed,  he  will  insist  upon  see- 
ing nothinig  but  hypocrisy  in  the  impossible  sacrifice,  or  cow- 
ardice in  the  heroism  that  he  cannot  understand. 

"No  man  will  admit  that  without  God's  help  it  needs  a 
^('  tiho'usiand  times  more  valor  to  drink  die  bitterness  of  insult 
than  it  is  to  strike  down  the  man  who  insults  you. 

"Amongst  men  we  shall  be  considered  swindlers  for  our 
miracle  of  poverty;  hypocrites,  for  our  miracle  of  charity;  cow- 
ards, for  our  miracle  of  humility. 

"Glory  to  God! 

"Even  our  death  will  not  disarm  ridicule  or  insult;  it  sliall 
be  said  of  us  as  was  said  of  our  Divine  Master,  Jesus,  that  'we 
have  played  our  parts  to  the  end,  and  tlM  our  last  sigh  is  our 
last  falsehood.'    Glory,  glory  to  God  alone!" 

Who  uttered  these  words?  It  was  Ignatius  de  Loyola,  the 
founder  of  the  Company  of  Jesus,  who  on  August  15,  1534, 
at  the  crypt  of  Notre  Dame,  Paris,  called  together  six  selected 
and  loyal  followers,  and  in  his  plea  for  humanity  and  the 
spread  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  he  uttered  these  ever-to-be-re- 
membered w^ords. 

Now,  dear  reader,  mark  the  contrast  between  these  words 
of  Loyola  and  the  words  of  Gioberti,  who,  because  he  was 


The  Jesuits.  451 

rebuked  by  the  Jesuits  for  eulogizing  them  to  an  extreme, 
turned  in  his  madness  and  in  the  spirit  of  revenge  wrote 
"Modern  Jesuits,"  where  he  declares:  "The  Jesuits  are  souls 
without  pity,  souls  of  iron;  they  are  impenetrable  to  sentiments 
the  most  sacred,  to  affections  the  most  noble;  they  are  ever 
ready  for  fraud,  imposture,  and  calumny;  they  are  men  without 
heart,  apostles  of  hell,  ministers  of  perdition;  in  fine,  they  form 
the  most  terrible  and  fatal  enemy  of  humanity  and  Christianity 
which  modern  times  'have  known. — They  teach  a  riibaild  mo- 
rality which  !has  only  the  semblance  of  being  Christian,  and 
they  inculcate  things  of  which  an  honest  Gentile  would  be 
ashamed;  their  idea  of  justice  is  contradictory  to  public  law, 
and  can  have  the  sanction  of  none  but  aissassins." 

Which  of  these  utterances  is  remembered  and  quoted  in  the 
writings  of  the  Protestant  world?  It  is  needless  to  answer. 
We  all  know  that  the  evil  of  man  is  prone  to  keep  alive  the 
slanders  and  calumnies  of  others.  By  the  prejudice  of  those 
who  are  raised  in  ignorance  will  there  be  a  remembrance  of 
every  charge  made  against  the  victims  of  misrepresentation. 

It  mattered  not  how  Gioberti  came  to  utter  those  words  of 
villification.  They  were  publicly  declared,  and  no  passion, 
malice,  hatred,  or  any  of  the  vile  attributes  of  man  would  be 
considered  in  the  great  scales  of  human  justice.  Slander  will 
outweigh  the  blackest  character  that  ever  uttered  it.  The 
vilest  criminal  in  existence  may  traduce  and  villify  the  hand 
that  seeks  to  lift  him  up,  and  the  world  will  scatter  the  sflander 
and  applaud  tJhe  villain  for  it. 

The  Jesuit  is  that  victim,  and  the  words  of  Gioberti  have 
ever  been  proclaimed  by  Protestants  as  the  proof  df  iniquity, 


452  CHRISTIANfjIPERSEOUTIONS. 


of  hypocrisy,  of  impurity,  of  perjury,  of  hatred,  of  falsity,  and 
of  murder.  This  writer  has  ever  been  held  as  competent 
authority  for  the  right  to  charge  all  forms  of  evil  to  them. 

But  before  we  proceed  further,  let  us  return  to  the  begin- 
ning of  this  Society,  view  the  character  of  the  founder,  the 
spirit  of  the  times,  and  the  great  work  to  accomplish. 

Ignatius  de  Loyola  was  born  in  Spain  in  1491,  and  on 
arriving  at  manhood  became  a  brilliant  captain  in  the  army, 
and  won  the  approbation  of  his  superiors  for  his  unconquera- 
ble valor.  In  outward  appearance  he  was  haughty,  stern,  and 
uncompromising  in  his  demands  for  justice,  but  when  the  light 
of  God  fell  upon  him,  as  it  did  like  a  thunderbolt  from  a  clear 
sky,  his  heart  was  turned  from  the  fever  of  war  to  that  of  the 
deepest  tenderness,  love,  and  adoration.  His  eyes,  as  they 
shone  through  the  beauties  of  his  soul,  showed  the  strong  de- 
termination of  his  mind,  the  grandeur  of  thoughts  and  pur- 
poses, and  the  purity  of  a  consecrated  life. 

This  brilliant  captain  was  wounded  at  the  bloody  siege  of 
Pampeluna.  His  power  to  lead  in  the  strife  of  battle  was  gone 
forever.  His  body  was  maimed,  and  though  the  spirit  of 
chivaliy  raged  with  unceasing  passion,  yet  Ignatius  could 
never  again  fight  with  the  sword  of  mortal  combat.  His  wild 
spirit  bounded  against  the  caged  bars  of  his  infirmities.  He 
was  raised  a  soldier,  and  his  life  had  been  one  fierce  conflict, 
and  now  to  be  bound  down  with  the  cruel  pains  of  afifliction 
was  a  blow  that  was  hard  to  bear.  To  soothe  his  pillow  of  dis- 
tress, he  would  ask  his  attendants  to  read  to  him  the  glowing 
accounts  of  the  achievements  of  knig'hthood,  the  brilliancy  of 
victory,  and  the  triumphs  of  his  cause.    In  his  imagination  he 


The  Jesuits.  453 

could  hear  the  din  of  war,  the  trumpet  call  for  action,  and  the 
thundering  charge. 

Among  the  knig'htly  romances  which  were  brought  to  his 
bedside  was  a  narration  of  the  suflfering  of  the  Christian  Mar- 
tyrs, and  the  story  of  their  wonderful  faith,  their  endurance 
against  mortal  pain,  their  devotion  to  God,  and  their  willing- 
ness to  lay  down  their  lives  for  the  cause  of  Christ.  These 
recitals  awoke  in  him  a  new  thought  of  existence,  a  new  powei 
of  love  and  aflfection  for  the  word  of  God,  and  when  the  history 
of  the  greatest  of  all  martyrs  was  again  read  to  him,  when  he 
saw  Christ  persecuted,  reviled,  denied,  and  crucified,  he  felt 
that  a  new  revelation  had  entered  his  soul.  No  longer  did  the 
spirit  of  chivalry  seek  to  break  the  bars  of  affliction,  but  with 
a  new  light  of  destiny  before  him,  a  new  conversion,  and  a  new 
purpose,  he  tore  from  his  heart  the  honor  of  warfare,  the 
knighthood  of  chivalry-,  and  the  love  of  comfort.  He  read 
again  the  Passion  of  our  Lord  according  to  the  Apostle  St. 
John,  and  as  he  thought  of  this  wonderful  sacrifice,  he  prayed  K 
to  God  for  mental  strength,  for  the  divine  light  of  truth,  and 
for  the  inspiration  of  thought  and  action.  In  spirit  he  clasped 
the  Mother  of  Jesus  to  his  heart,  and  there  dedicated  his  soul 
to  the  service  of  faith,  his  mind  to  the  promotion  of  the  Church, 
and  his  body  to  the  chastity  of  the  crucified  Saviour,  saying: 
"I  shall  be  a  knight  of  the  real  love  and  a  soldier  of  the  only 
glory." 

The  six  followers,  like  the  apostles  of  old,  who  met  Loyola 
on  the  mom  of  the  15th  of  August,  1534,  were  Peter  Lefevre, 
Francis  Xavier,  James  Laynez,  Anthony  Salmeron.  Nicholas 
Alonzo  de  Babadilla,  and  Simon  Rodriguez  d'Azevedo. 


454  Christian  Persecutions. 

For  fourteen  years  Loyola  had  studied  the  inspirations 
which  now  bound  together  these  seven  earnest,  pious,  Chris- 
tian men.  He  had  carefully  outlined  every  phase  of  its  char- 
acter. He  had  planned  its  future  power  and  influence,  and  in 
its  organization  there  could  be  none  admitted  who  would  not 
consecrate  his  life  to  the  work  of  teaching  the  gospel  of  salva- 
tion. There  was  a  great  work  to  do.  The  Church  was  being 
assailed  by  its  powerful  enemies,  and  no  decisive  efifort  was 
being  made  to  stay  the  tide  of  revolt.  The  old  orders  of 
Templars,  Hoispitallers,  and  Teutonic  Knights,  had  outgrown 
their  usefulness.  While  they  sought  to  plant  the  standard  of 
Christ,  yet  their  power  was  not  so  much  the  wisdom  of  thought 
as  it  was  the  execution  of  force.  These  orders  could  not  fill  the 
necessity  of  the  new  conditions  which  now  faced  Loyola. 

It  is  true,  there  were  other  religious  organizations,  but 
the}'^,  too,  were  not  competent  to  occupy  the  field  of  want.  The 
old  established  orders  of  Benedictines,  Dominicans,  and  Fran- 
ciscans, were  also  unable  to  meet  the  rising  duties.  While  for 
centuries  they  liaid  been  employed  in  teaching  others,  not  in 
the  public  school  rooms,  but  in  their  home  aibo'des,  their  chap- 
els, and  their  monasteries,  yet  their  mission  in  life  was  one  of 
study,  of  consecration  of  self,  ito  withdraw  from  the  world  as  far 
as  possible,  to  seek  spiritual  perfection  in  a  retired  life  of  con- 
templaition  and  prayer,  to  induce  the  most  devOut  and  fervent 
Christians  to  forsake  the  life  of  worldly  pleasure  and  profit,  and 
to  devote  the  mind  and  soul  to  the  great  preparation  for  eternal 
life. 

In  the  formation  of  the  Company  of  Jesus  there  was  a 
broader   foundation    for   the   advancement   of   humanity.     It 


The  Jesuits.  455 

sought  to  withdraw  reHgious  men  from  retirement  and  to  go 
into  all  the  countries  of  earth  and  teach  the  gospel  of  repent- 
ance. It  was  to  be  the  vanguard  of  Christianity,  the  pilot  of 
information,  the  watch  tower  of  Zion,  and  the  instrument  of 
labor  wherein  idolatry  held  men  from  the  worship  of  God. 

This  Company  came  into  existence  just  as  the  Reformation 
had  set  its  foot  upon  the  continent  of  Europe.  Loyola  saw  the 
magnitude  of  the  revolt  and  sought  to  stay  the  tide  of  Prot- 
estantism that  was  sweeping  Germany,  Switzerland,  France, 
Sweden,  and  the  Netherlands.  He  saw  that  even  Spain  was 
being  threatened  with  disunion.  He  saw  that  the  Catholic 
Church  was  being  defied  in  England  by  the  arrogant  and  tyran- 
nical power  of  Henry  VHI.  He  felt  that  his  beloved  Church 
was  everywhere  being  made  the  scapegoat  of  every  crime,  of 
every  form  of  villainy,  and  of  every  form  of  intoleration.  His 
soul  burned  with  indignation,  and  he  sought  to  plan  assistance 
by  which,  not  only  would  his  religion  be  preserved  at  home, 
but  at  the  same  time  be  preached  to  the  outside  world  of 
ignorance. 

In  the  organization  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  the  greatest 
number  that  could  be  enrolled  was  sixty,  but  the  demand  for 
services  was  so  great  that  within  a  few  months  the  Sovereign 
Pontiff  was  obliged  to  undo  this  limitation  and  give  to  the 
Company  the  full  power  of  its  mission. 

History  informs  us  that  "the  first  ten  Jesuits  were,  all  of 
them,  eloquent  orators,  unequaled  professors,  accomplished 
theologians,  remarkable  writers,  zealous  apostles  of  charity  and 
doughty  defenders  of  truth."  In  James  Laynez  we  find  a  man 
of  such  powerful  mind  that  wherever  he  went  he  was  received 


456  Christian  Persecutions. 

with  a  wonderful  confidence.  His  first  mission  was  to  go  to 
Venice,  "where  the  struggle  that  he  opened  against  heresy  so 
aroused  the  popular  enthusiasm  that  crowds  slept  at  the  doors 
of  the  churches  so  as  not  to  miss  his  preaching."  It  is  but 
proper  to  mention  that  the  ambition  of  Laynez  was  not"  to 
climb  the  ladder  of  fame,  but  to  preach  the  gospel  of  Christ. 
So  interested  did  he  become  in  the  work  laid  out  for  him  to  do 
that  he  refused  to  accept  the  Cardinal's  hat,  believing  that  he 
could  render  greater  service  to  his  Church  and  to  the  Company 
of  Jesus  by  continuing  in  his  mission  labors. 

The  same  can  be  said  of  Francis  Xavier.  He  was  one  of 
the  most  brilliant  lights  in  all  the  history  of  the  CathoHc 
Church.  So  great  was  his  power  of  conversion  that  he  was 
sent  to  India,  where  his  march  was  one  continuous  victory  for 
the  advancement  of  Christian  faith.  His  first  efforts  in  his  new 
field  of  labor  were  to  convert  the  Portuguese  and  Spanish 
traders  to  an  honest  and  conscientious  purpose.  The  oppres- 
sion practiced  by  the  Portuguese  merchants  in  India  was  car- 
ried to  a  hideous  excess,  and  so  avaricious  and  corrupt  had  be- 
come these  traders  that  to  the  native's  mind  the  name  of 
Christian  was  joined  to  greedy,  cruel,  dissolute,  vicious,  and 
even  criminal  traffickers.  To  correct  this  evil  and  to  prove 
to  the  natives  that  Christianity  was  not  a  corruption,  these 
unprincipled  merchants  must  be  converted,  an  attempt  which 
was  considered  far  more  difficult  than  to  conquer  all  barbarous 
India  for  the  faith. 

But  Xavier  accomplished  his  purpose.  His  earnest  plead- 
mg  aroused  them  from  their  vicious  dissolution,  and  they  be- 
came a  powerful  influence  in  spreading  the  gospel  of  Girist. 


The  Jesuits.  457 

He  said:  "In  the  name  of  God,  do  you  wish  me  to  ask  those 
people,  who  have  no  other  fault  than  their  bhndness,  to  be- 
come like  you,  who  are  full  of  iniquity?"  With  this  conversion 
Xavier  felt  that  the  hardest  work  of  his  mission  was  ended. 
"His  heart  swam  in  torrents  of  joy  and  the  song  of  his  gladness 
broke  from  his  lips;  he  underwent  cold,  heat,  hunger,  disease; 
his  naked  feet  were  torn  by  the  thorns  and  briers  on  his  way, 
but  he  complained  of  nothing,  or  rather  he  enjoyed  everything; 
he  kept  on  his  tireless  way  invulnerable;  on  earth  he  walked  as 
if  already  in  heaven." 

"In  the  meantime  his  whole  mission  grew  with  marvelous 
rapidity.  At  the  end  of  two  years  the  crop  of  auxiliaries  that 
he  had  planted  was  almost  ripe.  At  Goa,  which  was  his  head- 
quarters, he  founded  a  seminary;  his  first  priests  are  now 
ready;  to-day  lie  can  attempt  what  seemed  impossible  yester- 
day, and  now  he  penetrates  still  further  and  further,  for  he  is 
no  longer  alone.  In  the  Trevancor,  in  a  few  weeks,  he  baptised 
ten  thousand  with  his  o\vn  hand." 

It  is  not  necessary  to  follow  this  wonderful  apostle  in  his 
missions.  Whole  cities  and  countries  fall  prostrate  at  his  feet. 
The  world  was  astonished  at  his  brilliant  successes.  India  now 
belongs  to  him.  It  is  now  nine  years  since  he  left  Europe,  and 
he  had  not  rested  a  day,  but  his  ardent  zeal  is  just  as  strong  and 
his  desire  to  extend  his  teachings  is  more  earnest  than  when  he 
first  started  on  his  journey.  He  now  visits  Japan  and  re- 
doubles his  efforts.  In  two  years  of  suffering,  which  cost  him 
his  life,  Xavier  is  master  of  these  islands.  He  returns  to  Goa, 
where  he  finds  that  India  numbers  half  a  million  of  Christians. 
"Glory  to  God!  this  is  a  fine  harvest;  let  us  sow  other  fields." 

(30) 


458  Christian  Persecutions. 

He  turns  his  eyes  towards  that  great  unknown — China.  He 
will  not  stop,  but  will  enter  upon  this  gigantic  campaign.  He 
has  conquered  India  and  Japan,  and  now  he  must  scale  the 
barbarous  walls  of  China;  but  alas!  his  strength  is  wasted^  and 
before  he  reaches  the  end  of  his  voyage  he  dies  a  martyr  to  his 
untiring  zeal  in  the  spread  of  Christianity. 

I  ask  you  to  read  again  the  slanderous  words  of  Gioberti 
and  then  say  that  such  men  as  Francis  Xavier  are  guilty  of 
treason,  infidelity,  or  crime.  What  I  have  said  of  Xavier  is 
true  of  the  hundreds  of  missionaries  who  have  braved  the  wilds 
of  every  country  on  earth,  and  all  because  of  their  love  for 
Christ  and  the  spreading  of  his  gospel  of  salvation.  In  our 
own  country  do  we  find  their  line  of  progress.  We  can  trace 
their  footsteps  through  Canada,  up  the  great  chain  of  lakes, 
down  the  Mississippi  River,  through  the  wilds  of  Wisconsin, 
Minnesota,  Michigan,  and  the  entire  Northwest.  We  find 
them  in  Louisiana,  Missouri,  and  can  follow  them  through 
Colorado,  New  Mexico,  Oregon,  and  California.  No  State  in 
the  Union  can  say  that  the  Jesuits  have  not  been  the  vanguard 
of  exploration  and  the  apostles  of  peace  and  good  will.  To 
them,  more  than  to  any  other  people,  do  we  owe  a  debt  of 
gratitude  for  their  unceasing  labors  in  seeking  to  conciliate 
the  Indians  in  their  anger,  for  being  the  instrument  for  ex- 
ploration, for  establishing  trading  for  others,  for  paving  the 
way  for  sdttlemeruts,  for  opening  schools,  building  churches, 
and  advancing  national  progress. 

"When  a  Jesuit  engages  in  trade,  the  Order  puts  him  under 
interdict,  cashiers  him,  expels  him,  and  ruins  itself  to  pay  a 
debt  it  has  not  contracted." 


The  Jesuits.  459 

"The  Jesuits  do  not  trade.  They  give,  but  do  not  sell. 
They  have  neither  warehouses  nor  fleets.  They  let  people  act 
and  talk." 

So  great  is  their  modesty  that  in  their  own  books  you  will 
find  no  record  or  testimony  which  will  in  any  way  exalt  their 
zeal,  their  courage,  or  their  self-sacrificing  charity.  Rarely  do 
they  deny  the  most  dangerous  accusations,  and  because  of  this 
meekness  are  they  libeled  and  defamed. 

Few  Protestants  have  ever  written  a  word  of  commenda- 
tion, although  we  find  in  Robertson's  "History  of  America," 
Vol.  X,  p.  27,  the  following: 

"It  is  a  remarkable  thing  that  those  authors  who  have  the 
most  severely  blamed  the  licentious  manners  of  the  regular 
Spanish  monks,  all  agree  in  honoring  the  conduct  of  the 
Jesuits.  Governed  by  a  more  perfect  discipline  than  prevailed 
among  other  orders,  or  restrained  by  the  need  of  preserving 
the  Society's  honor,  so  dear  to  each  of  its  members,  the  Jesuits, 
whether  in  Mexico  or  Peru,  have  ever  maintained  an  irre- 
proachable regularity  of  manners." 

If  we  read  Voltaire  we  will  find  that  this  brilliant  infidel 
would  not  slander  even  the  Jesuits.  He  says:  "My  brothers, 
I  have  not  spared  the  Jesuits,  but  I  should  raise  up  posterity 
in  their  favor  were  I  to  accuse  them  of  a  crime  from  which 
Europe  and  Damiens  have  exonerated  them.  I  should  be 
only  a  vile  echo  of  the  Jansenists."  This  was  written  when  the 
charge  of  a  crime  was  made  against  them  and  no  proof  was 
produced.  The  King  of  France  had  been  assailed,  but  by 
whom  no  one  knew.    The  cry  rang  forth,  The  Jesuits!    The 


460  Christian  Persecutions. 

Jesuits  are  the  guilty  parties!  and  even  to  this  day  the  charge 
of  attempted  assassination  rests  against  them. 

Again  Voltaire  says,  in  discussing  the  sincerity  of  their 
acts  and  their  fidelity  to  manhood:  "The  Jesuits  had  the  merit 
of  making  their  disciples  love  literature  and  virtue." 

But  Protestants  will  say,  if  the  Jesuits  were  innocent  and 
God-fearing  men,  if  they  sought  only  to  advance  Christianity, 
why  were  they  expelled  from  Spain,  Portugal,  the  kingdom  of 
Naples,  the  duchy  of  Parma,  the  empire  oi  Austria,  and  from 
France?  Carefully  follow  the  history  of  these  expulsions,  and 
you  will  find  that  in  these  Catholic  states  there  arose  a  jealousy 
because  of  their  earnest  and  persistent  labors.  They  were 
largely  instrumental  in  staying  the  tide  of  Reformation,  and  as 
such  had  produced  enmity  among  the  people  of  their  own 
Church.  John  Calvin  said :  "There  is  the  obstacle,  remove  it." 
Catholic  conspirators  followed  these  words  of  this  most  incon- 
sistent of  all  reformers.  The  Jesuits  were  in  the  way  for  a 
sordid  and  greedy  ambition.  But  be  it  said  to  the  credit  of  an 
after  decision  of  the  governments  of  these  countries,  the  Jesuits 
were  recalled,  which  stands  as  an  evidence  of  their  innocence 
and  their  benefit  to  the  Church  and  to  mankind. 

To  note  something  of  their  extraordinary  efforts  in  battling 
against  Martin  Luther,  John  Calvin,  the  Huguenots,  and  the 
entire  Reformation,  we  will  quote  from  the  eminent  historian, 
Macaulay:  "Protestantism  was.  checked  in  its  victorious 
march  and  driven  back  with  a  giddy  rapidity  from  the  foot  of 
the  Alps  to  tllie  shores  of  the  Baltic.  Before  the  Order  had  a 
century  of  existence,  it  had  filled  the  whole  world  with  monu- 
ments of  its  martyrs  and  of  its  great  struggles  for  the  faith." 


The  Jesuits.  461 

Who  can  express  a  greater  eulogy  to  the  wonderful 
achievements  of  this  Order  than  is  expressed  by  Macaulay! 
Read  it  again,  and  you  will  then  hardly  comprehend  the  vast- 
ness  of  the  work  accomplished.  In  less  than  a  century  "it  had 
filled  the  whole  world  with  monuments  of  its  martyrs  and  of  its 
great  struggles  for  the  faith." 


CHAPTER  XXXIY. 

CONFESSION. 

C  EW  people,  who  are  not  imbued  with  Catholic  faith,  fully 
*■  understand  the  principles  intvolved  in  the  practice  of  con- 
fession. In  many  instances  it  has  been  grossly  misrepresented, 
and  because  of  this  I  have  ventured  to  discuss  this  subject  for 
the  benefit  of  my  Protestant  friends.  I  do  not  expect  to  present 
any  new  features  not  fully  understood  and  practiced  by  the 
Church,  nor  do  I  expect  to  stand  as  competent  authority,  but 
I  do  hope  to  be  able  to  explain,  in  simple  language,  what  I 
have  found  by  investigation,  and  thus  induce  others  to  investi- 
gate as  I  have  done. 

I  believe  it  is  the  duty  of  every  earnest  Christian  to  study 
the  differences  that  divide  Christendom,  to  go  to  the  fountain- 
head  and  ascertain  the  facts  as  they  really  exist,  and  not  depend 
upon  what  he  hears  or  reads  for  a  justification  of  his  misbelief. 
I  do  not  mean  that  you  shall  not  seek  information  from  others, 
but  I  mean  that  in  your  search  for  knowledge  you  will  apply 
to  those  who  are  competent,  those  you  know  are  capable  to 
explain,  and  will  do  so  with  an  earnest  desire  to  impart  to 
you  the  desired  information. 

In  studying  this  subject,  I  find  that  the  Sacrament  of 
Penance  in  the  Catholic  Church  consists  of  the  following  parts : 

1st — Confession. 

2d — Contrition. 

3d — Restitution  and  Satisfaction. 

462 


Confession.  463 

4th — ^The  Priest's  Absolution, 

Confession  is  the  secret  enumeration  of  sins  to  the  priest, 
and  may  refer  to  whatever  act  is  unjust  to  fellow  men,  or 
whatever  act  or  omission  is  displeasmg  to  God. 

Contrition  is  a  sincere  sorrow  for  sin  and  an  earnest  desire 
to  cast  it  aside  and  avoid  its  future  influence. 

Restitution  is  to  restore_,  as  far  as  it  is  possible,  whatever 
lias  been  taken  from  others.  If  it  is  property,  it  requires  a  res- 
toration of  the  property,  or  its  equivalent.  If  it  is  the  defamation 
of  character,  or  any  injustice,  then  it  is  the  reparation  of  the 
wrong,  so  far  as  lies  in  one's  power.  It  is  the  endeavor  to  right 
all  wrongs  that  have  been  committed. 

The  Priest's  Absolution  is  the  forgiveness  which  the  peni- 
tent seeks,  and  is  given  in  tflie  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the 
Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  through  power  received  from  Christ. 

From  these  principles  we  may  deduce  the  following: 

1.  A  person,  in  confession,  must  be  truly  penitent. 

2.  No  person  can  expect  any  good  results  from  confession, 
unless  from  the  earnestness  of  the  heart  he  seeks  to  amend  his 
faults. 

3.  The  mere  enumeration  of  sins  is  not  satisfactory  in  God's 
sight. 

4.  A  priest  can  grant  absolution  from  sin  only  when  the 
penitent  has  a  sincere  sorrow. 

5.  To  repeat  the  acts  of  sin  and  not  feel  sorry  for  oflf ending 
God,  is  not  true  confession.  It  is  not  contrition,  and  carries 
with  it  no  benefits. 

G.  As  human  nature  is  not,  nor  cannot  be,  free  from  sin, 
then    constant   resolves    must   be   made   to   avoid    it,    or,    as 


464  Christian  Persecutions. 

Catholics  express  it,  one  confession  only  acts  upon  the  sins 
already  committed.  It  gives  no  assurance  that  the  penitent 
will  not  sin  the  next  week,  day,  or  hour. 

7.  As  sin  enters  into  the  daily  life  of  humanity,  so,  too, 
must  confession  and  contrition  be  the  constantly  recurring 
means  for  absolution. 

8.  Priests  confess  their  sins  to  other  priests. 

Even  the  Pope  does  the  same.  The  present  Pope  confesses 
his  sins  every  week. 

9.  The  Sacrament  of  Penance  is  an  institution  founded  by 
Christ  and  delegated  to  His  Apostles  and  their  successors.  It 
was  given  as  a  command  that  confession  is  a  positive  necessity. 

10.  The  power  of  absolution  is  delegated  by  Christ  to  His 
Apostles  in  St.  Matthew  xvi,  18,  19;  also  in  St.  John  xx,  21-23. 

"Thou  art  Peter  and  on  this  rock  I  will  build  my  Church, 
and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it.  And  I  will 
give  to  thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  whatever 
thou  shalt  bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  also  in  heaven,  and 
Whatsoever  thou  slialt  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  also  in 
heaven." 

"Peace  be  to  you.  As  the  Fatlier  hath  sent  Me,  I  also  send 
you.  *  *  *  *  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost;  whose  sins 
ye  shall  forgive,  they  are  forgiven  them,  and  whose  sins  ye 
shall  retain,  they  are  retained." 

11.  The  Catholic  Church  recognizes  and  practices  the  fol- 
lowing institutions  founded  by  Christ  for  the  salvation  of  man- 
kind, which  are  known  as  the  seven  Sacraments :  Baptism,  Con- 
firmation, Eucharist,  Penance,  Extreme  Unction,  Holy  Orders, 
Matrimony. 


Confession.  465 

It  is  not  my  purpose,  at  this  time,  to  discuss  in  detail  these 
seven  Sacraments,  but  to  confine  this  chapter  more  particularly 
to  Penance,  under  which  Confession  is  instituted,  but  it  may 
be  proper  to  state  here  that  Protestants  recognize  only  two 
of  these  Sacraments — Baptism^  and  Eucharist,  or  Holy  Com- 
munion. They  deny  any  special  grace  in  the  others,  and  even 
in  the  practice  of  Holy  Communion  it  is  only  in  commemora- 
tion of  that  great  event,  and  not  the  actual  participation  of  the 
body  and  blood  of  Christ. 

With  Catholics  these  sacraments  are  all  sacred  institutions 
and  cherished  by  them  as  indispensable  in  their  life  and  death. 
Even  matrimony,  which  by  the  outside  world  is  regarded  only 
as  a  legal  tie  binding  together  husband  and  wife,  is  a  sacred 
sacraanent,  and  cannot  be  dissolved.  Probably  no  greater 
example  of  the  constancy  of  the  Church  in  sustaining  these 
sacraments  without  deviation  is  found  and  demonstrated  than  in 
the  history  of  Henry  VHI.,  w'hen  this  powerful  monarch 
asked  that  his  marriage  with  Catherine  of  Aragon  be 
annulled  and  he  be  allowed  to  marry  again.  The  request 
was  not  granted,  although  there  was  a  technical  point  by  which 
it  could  have  been  accomplished,  as  Henry  had  married  his 
brother's  widow,  which  was  against  the  rules  of.  the  Church. 
To  do  this  he  had  obtained  a  special  dispensation  from  the 
Pope  and  the  marriage  vows  were  consummated.  As  history  in- 
forms us,  this  monarch  contended  that  no  dispensation  had  been 
given  and  thus  attempted  to  establish  an  illegal  union  which 
could  be  cast  aside  as  improper  and  against  the  rules  of  the 
Church. 

When  we  consider  that  the  Reformation  was  threatening 


466  Christian  Persecutions. 

the  very  existence  of  the  Roman  Church;  when  Henry  VIII. 
was  on  the  verge  of  a  great  church  rebellion;  when  the  Pope 
had  no  security  for  any  earthly  power;  when  even  his  own 
body  might  be  sacrificed  on  the  altar  of  faith;  when  all  was 
gloom  and  despair,  is  it  not  a  powerful  argument  in  favor  of 
the  constancy  of  the  Church  to  stand  unmoved,  to  deviate  not 
one  iota  from  this  sacred  Sacrament  of  Matrimony?  Just  for  a 
moment  consider  the  situation  and  then  ask  yourself  these 
questions:  Why  was  this?  Why  this  constancy,  when  church 
ruin  seemed  to  be  an  impending  fact?  Why  could  the  Pope  not 
recall  the  dispensation  which  he  had  previously  granted?  Is 
matrimony  a  sacred  Sacrament  of  God,  or  may  it  be  cast  aside 
by  the  will  of  man?  Here  was  an  opportunity  to  hold  this 
powerful  English  monarch,  who  had  won  the  title  of  "Defender 
of  the  Faith"  by  his  defense  of  the  Church  from  the  attacks 
of  Martin  Luther  and  other  Reformers.  Germany,  Holland, 
.  Sweden,  Switzerland,  France,  Italy,  and  even  Spain  were  ris- 
ing against  the  Church  of  Rome.  The  Pope  was  being  assailed 
from  every  side.  The  doctrine  of  John  Calvin  was  dividing  the 
people  of  France  and  Switzerland.  Martin  Luther  was  turn- 
ing Germany  and  the  Netherlands  into  a  fierce  and  open  re- 
bellion. In  fact,  almost  all  of  Continental  Europe  appeared 
to  be  against  the  Pope  and  his  Church.  The  rising  tide  of 
Reformation,  like  a  prairie  fire,  was  consuming  by  war's  ter- 
rible forces  the  power  of  the  Church  and  erecting  on  the  ruined 
fields  of  Catholicity  a  new  church  and  a  new  creed.  So  fierce 
was  this  conflict  that  it  seemed  as  though  the  Catholic  Church 
was  doomed  to  destruction,  that  its  faith  was  lost,  and  that  the 
fifteeen  hundred  years  of  constancy  would  fall,  never  to  rise 
again. 


Confession.  467 

Of  all  the  nations  of  Europe  none  stood  so  firmly  entrenched 
in  Catholic  Faith  as  did  England  and  its  master,  Henry  VIII. 
To  save  these  to  the  Church  might  be  the  turning-point  in 
this  great  religious  struggle.  To  lose  them  might  mean  a 
complete  overthrow  of  the  Pope  and  the  Church  of  Rome. 
Thus  do  we  find  the  conditions  as  they  existed  when  Henry 
VIII.  requested  the  Pope  to  declare  his  marriage  to  Catharine 
of  Aragon  illegal.  The  price  offered  for  this  evasion  of  the 
Holy  Sacrament  of  Matrimony  was  the  continued  support  of 
this  monarch.  Refusal  meant  a  bitter  and  undying  hatred 
against  the  Pope  and  a  complete  separation  of  the  EngUsh 
people  from  the  Catholic  Church.  Did  the  Pope  hesitate? 
Not  in  the  least.  The  Creed  of  the  Church  was  not  in  the 
market  to  buy.  The  King  of  England,  with  all  his  minions, 
could  not  turn  aside  that  which  had  ever  been  held  as  a  holy 
union.  The  Pope  had  granted  a  dispensation  to  please  this 
monarch,  but  the  marriage  had  been  solemnized  and  no  en- 
treaty, no  threat,  could  break  the  edict  of  the  Church  when  it 
once  declares  that  what  God  has  jomed  together  let  no  man 
put  asunder. 

If  we  follow  this  controversy  we  will  find  that  not  only  did 
the  Pope  deny  the  demands  of  Henry  VIII.,  but  the  moment 
the  king  grossly  violated  the  rules  of  the  Church  he  was  ex- 
communicated and  no  regard  placed  upon  his  power  and  influ- 
ence. You  all  know  the  'history  of  this  denunciation  and 
excommunication.  The  Cathohc  Church  was  declared  the 
enemy  of  the  king,  a  new  church  was  established,  and  Eng- 
land became  a  Protestant  nation. 

This  history  may  be  a  deviation  from  the  subject  under 


468  Christian  Persecutions. 

discussion,  but  it  is  given  as  an  illustration  of  the  constancy  of 
the  Church  to  uphold  its  faith  above  even  the  suspicion  of 
wrong,  and  that,  too,  when  danger  of  the  greatest  magnitude 
threatened  it.  Henry  VIII.  was  the  most  powerful  ally  of  the 
Pope  in  all  Europe,  and  yet,  even  under  an  apparent  wrong  in 
the  first  marriage  of  tliis  monarch,  there  could  be  no  recon- 
sideration of  this  dispensation.  The  marriage  had  been  con- 
summated, the  Sacrament  of  Matrimony  had  been  received  and 
no  power  on  earth  could  recall  it.  The  Pope  might  go  down 
in  death  in  defending  this  holy  rite,  but  to  unloose  that  which 
God  had  bound  was  not  only  a  sin,  but  impossible. 

But  the  Church  considers  all  Sacraments  as  divine  institu- 
tions, Penance  included.  Therefore  confession  becomes  a 
sacred  tenet  in  the  faith  of  every  true  Catholic.  Without  it 
there  can  be,  ordinarily,  no  absolution.  The  one  depends  upon 
the  other.  Before  the  heart  is  prepared  to  receive  the  Sacra- 
ment of  Penance  there  must  be  a  confession  of  sins,  a  contrition 
for  all  wrong,  a  desire  to  shun  the  paths  of  evil,  and  the  earnest 
will  to  do  penance ;  then,  and  not  until  then,  can  the  soul  re- 
ceive the  grace  of  God  and  be  blessed  by  it. 

But  let  us  return  to  a  more  direct  discussion  of  this  sub- 
ject. The  Protestant  religion  takes  the  ground  that  confes- 
sion is  only  to  God,  that  there  is  no  intercession,  no  power 
but  his  own  to  reach  the  ear  of  Jesus,  and  yet  in  a  series  of 
revival  meetings  the  ministers  beseech  their  people  to  confess 
their  sins,  to  ask  for  the  prayers  of  the  faithful,  and  in  their 
earnestness  they  ask  every  Christian  to  intercede  for  some  par- 
ticular person,  and  to  ask  God  to  open  his  heart  to  the  light 
of  repentance.    In  these  meetings  the  oft-repeated  exhortation 


Confession.  469 

is,  that  sinners  must  open  their  mouths  to  confession;  that 
there  can  be  no  other  means  for  salvation;  that  Christ  has 
declared  that  we  must  come  confessing  our  sins;  that  there 
is  joy  in  heaven  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth,  and  that  no 
sinner  can  enter  heaven  until  he  has  been  forgiven.  Here  we 
have  a  recognition  of  the  Catholic  belief  in  confession  and 
intercession.  Tlie  minister  says  confess  openly  to  the  world, 
lay  open  your  heart  that  all  men  may  see,  pray  for  forgiveness, 
and  we  will  intercede  with  our  prayeps  before  the  Throne  of 
Grace.  The  Catholic  priest  says:  Confess  to  me  privately 
every  sin,  make  restitution  for  every  wrong  you  have  done, 
become  truly  contrite,  seek  to  avoid  the  paths  of  evil,  go  and 
sin  no  more. 

And  now  are  you  going  to  say  that  the  minister  can  inter- 
cede before  the  Throne  of  Grace  and  not  the  priest?  The  fact 
is,  you  do  believe  in  confession  and  in  intercession,  but  not  as 
is  done  by  others.  You  desire  to  become  a  servant  of  God,  but 
wish  to  close  the  door  to  others.  It  is  not  my  province  to  say 
that  you  are  right  or  wrong,  but  mine  to  say  that  you  must 
not  appropriate  to  yourself  a  power  of  intercession  which  you 
deny  to  others  who  have  consecrated  their  lives  to  the  same 
work  to  which  you  are  devoted.  You  often  say  a  priest  is  wrong, 
that  his  teachings  are  errors,  and  that  he  can  have  no  stand- 
ing before  God.  But  Catholic  priests,  although  they  cannot 
approve  of  any  teaching  which  is  opposed  to  the  doctrine  of 
the  Church,  do  not  say  that  you  "can  have  no  standing  before 
God."  They  say  it  is  not  their  mission  to  condemn  any  man. 
A  priest  once  said  to  me:  "Mr.  Craig,  I  dare  not  say  that 
such  men  will  never  be  saved.     I  am  not  the  judge.     These 


470  Christian  Persecutions. 

things  we  leave  to  God.  We  are  finite  and  not  infinite.  Judge 
not,  lest  ye  be  judged."' 

Protestants  say  that  no  man,  minister  nor  priest,  has  the 
power  to  grant  absolution  from  sin.  Infidels  might  say  this, 
but  why  should  those  who  believe  in  the  divinity  of  Christ  and 
his  mission  on  earth  arbitrarily  denounce  the  belief  that  the 
servants  of  God  have  the  power  of  intercession?  One  of  two 
things  we  must  adtnit :  either  there  is  a  salvation  and  a  future 
life,  or  the  great  principles  of  Christianity  are  a  myth,  a  fraud 
upon  humanity  and  a  beautifully  planned  superstition.  Are 
you  prepared  to  admit  that  this  vast  universe  has  no  Creator; 
that  Christ  was  only  a  magnified  story  of  impossibilities;  that 
the  history  of  Christianity  and  all  its  martyrdom  was  only  the 
result  of  fanaticism;  that  God  never  communicated  with  man 
directly  or  indirectly?  If  this  is  your  mind,  then  I  dO'  not 
expect  you  to  believe  that  man  is  anything  more  than  an  out- 
growth of  progression,  a  natural  production  of  evolution,  a 
being  originating  from  some  unexplained  system  of  generation, 
but  endowed  with  reason,  elevated  by  intelligence  above  his 
brute  brothers,  with  no  soul,  and  no  resurrection. 

Deny  creation  and  you  must  deny  the  immortality  of  the 
soul.  Deny  Christ  and  you  must  deny  the  servants  who  preach 
His  doctrine  of  salvation.  Admit  that  there  is  a  Creator,  that 
there  is  a  Christ,  that  there  is  a  Christian  religion,  that  there 
is  a  communion  between  God  and  man,  and  you  must  continue 
your  belief  that  if  God  is  not  personally  before  your  vision  he 
must  certainly  appear  through  other  sources,  otherwise  there 
would  be  no  communion. 

If  your  soul  is  immortal,  then  there  is  a  relationship  between 


Confession.  471 

the  finite  and  the  infinite,  and  some  means  must  be  provided 
by  which  there  is  a  communion,  an  intercession,  a  mediation, 
or  a  mediator,  to  hold  and  sustain  this  relationship.  But  skep- 
tics say  if  God  is  such  a  wonderful  being,  what  need  has  He 
to  employ  agents  to  transact  his  business,  when  in  His  all- 
powerful  magnificence  He  can  simply  will  a  command  to  obedi- 
ence. God,  in  His  goodness  and  all-wise  providence,  created 
man  after  his  own  image.  He  placed  him,  master  of  all  things 
that  grow  or  live,  upon  the  earth.  He  endowed  him  with  rea- 
son, with  intelHgence,  with  a  soul,  and  with  immortality.  In 
all  the  developments  of  his  finite  body  and  mind  He  created 
him  only  a  little  below  the  angels.  He  gave  him  the  power  to 
choose  between  the  right  and  the  wrong,  and  in  His  infinite 
love  He  provided  the  means  of  being  redeemed  from  dis- 
obedience. 

I  wish  to  say  to  my  readers  that  this  chapter  is  not  written 
upon  the  supposition  that  skeptics  may  be  right,  but  that 
Christianity  is  a  real  institution  by  which  the  soul  of  man  may 
commune  with  God.  It  is  based  upon  what  has  been,  what 
is,  and  what  must  be.  If  our  Creator  has  left  us  with  the 
responsibility  of  working  out  our  own  existence,  we  have  a 
right  to  consider  that  it  is  a  great  honor  conferred  upon  us. 
We  are  human  beings,  capable  of  expressing  pas- 
sion, of  committing  sin,  of  contrition,  of  sorrow,  of  love  and 
forgiveness,  and  not  machines  to  unfold  only  what  had  been 
joined  together.  Can  you  conceive  of  a  higher  honor  that 
could  have  been  conferred  upon  man  than  the  honor  of  being 
his  own  master?  And  at  the  same 'time,  can  you  conceive  of 
greater  pleasure  to  the   God   of  Love,  than  that   man   will 


472  Christian  Persecutions. 

bow  his  knee  in  reverence,  whisper  the  words  of  repentance, 
ask  for  a  remission  of  sins,  and  in  the  filial  affection  of  his  heart 
seek  to  overcome  evil  and  walk  in  the  paths  of  uprightness 
and  obedience?  The  parent  sorrows  when  the  child  is  wrapped 
in  wrong,  but  oh,  how  the  heart  beats  with  joyous  emotions 
when  the  child  sees  his  error,  confesses  the  wrong  and  begs 
of  the  parent  to  kiss  away  the  tears  of  repentance.  Like  the 
s'hepherd  who  has  lost  one  sheep,  he  is  more  overjoyed  at 
finding  the  one  that  has  strayed  than  over  the  presence  of  the 
ninety  and  nine.  While  it  is  a  grievous  sin  to  deliberately  dis- 
obey the  commands  of  God,  yet  when  the  heart  is  filled  with 
a  real  sorrow  of  commission,  when  the  mouth  utters  the  words 
of  confession,  and  the  soul  yearns  for  the  blessing  of  for- 
giveness, then  has  the  penitent  filled  the  measure  of  require- 
ment and  the  sins  are  all  absolved. 

We  often  hear  Protestants  pronounce  against  the  practice 
of  Catholic  Confession  and  Absolution,  and  declare  that  this 
sacrament  was  instituted  hundreds  of  years  after  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Church,  and  in  no  v/ay  becomes  a  necessary 
requirement  in  the  life  of  the  Christian.  Some  even  place  the 
adoption  of  Confession  to  the  thirteenth  century,  but  upon 
what  authority  no  one  can  tell.  The  statement  being  made, 
others  rise  up  and  declare  it  a  modem  invention  and  not  a 
holy  requirement  instituted  by  Christ.  , 

Human  nature  is  such  that  we  are  liable  to  accept  the  state- 
ments of  others  without  investigation  and  without  due  con- 
sideration. We  hear  an  individual  repeat  some  story.  If  it  is 
in  the  line  of  our  own  wishes,  we  jump  to  the  conclusion  that 
it  is  true  and  immediately  there  commences  a  desire  to  spread 


Confession.  473 

the  matter  as  an  assured  fact,  and  thus  estabHsh  a  beHef  that 
is  without  foundation  and  possibly  devoid  of  even  the  elements 
of  truth.  Thus  we  find  that  many  charges  made  against  the 
Catholic  Church  have  for  its  origin  the  wild  imagination  of 
some  disciple  of  Ananias,  but  having  been  made,  they  spread 
because  the  desires  of  others  wish  to  have  them  so. 

That  Confession  was  not  adopted  by  the  Church  in  the 
thirteenth  century  can  be  proven  by  the  history  of  other  creeds. 
You  may  debar  the  evidence  given  by  the  unbroken  record  of 
the  Catholic  Church,  and  still  we  have  the  evidence  of  the 
Greek  division,  which  was  once  a  part  of  the  Roman  Church, 
but  in  the  ninth  century,  under  Photius,  it  became  estranged, 
severed  its  connections  with  the  Roman  Pontiff,  and  from  that 
date  it  has  been  separated  from  the  original  Catholic  Church. 
In  this  separation  they  have  tenaciously  clung  to  the  doctrine 
of  private  confession.    Again,  go  back  to  the  fourth  and  fifth 
centuries  and  we  find  that  the  Arians  and  Nestorians  seceded 
from   the   Christian   Church,   but   took   with   them,    and   still 
retain  as  one  of  their  most  sacred  and  cherished  forms  of 
faith,  that  of  the  private  confession  of  sins  to  those  who  are 
given  authority  to  receive  them.     These  are  living  evidences 
that  cannot  be  doubted.    The  Greek  Church  records  the  prac- 
tice as  of  Apostolic  origin.     The  Nestorians  and  other  heretics 
of  Persia,  Abyssinia,  and  the  west  coast  of  India,  have  ever 
retained  this  faith  as  sacred  and  an  essential  practice  in  their 
lives.    Therefore,  if  you  deny  Catholic  records,  are  you  pre- 
pared to  deny  the  established  faith  of  other  creeds,  who  hold 
and  practice  the  same  institution?    It  is  needless  to  reply.    The 
evidence  is  beyond  question.    The  Sacrament  of  Penance  has 

(31) 


474  Christian  Persecutions. 

its  origin  in  Christ.  Christ  commanded  his  disciples  to  hear 
Confession,  and  if  the  penitent  was  deserving  of  absolution,  to 
speak  the  words  of  forgiveness,  and  from  that  day  to  this  Con- 
fession and  Absolution  have  been  a  constant  requirement  of  the 
Church.  The  power  of  absolution  is  clearly  implied  in  the 
words  of  Christ:  "Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost;  whose  sins 
ye  shall  forgive,  they  are  forgiven,  and  whose  sins  ye  shall  re- 
tain, they  are  retained."  The  Apostles  and  their  successors  are 
to  judge  whether  the  sinner  is  worthy  of  forgiveness  or  not, 
for  the  power  to  forgive  sins  presupposes  such  judgment 
But  they  cannot,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  judge  without 
knowing  the  state  of  the  conscience  of  him  whose  sins  they 
are  either  to  forgive  or  to  retain.  Therefore  confession  is  im- 
plied as  a  necessary  means  to  that  end,  for  which  the  power 
of  the  keys  is  given  to  the  Church.  That  confession  became 
an  adopted  practice  at  some  period  after  the  establishment  of 
Christianity  is  an  absurd  impossibility,  as  all  nations  who  had 
been  disciples  of  the  Church  of  Christ  retained,  in  their  re- 
volt, this  feature  of  religious  requirement,  except  as  we  come 
to  establish  new  creeds  and  isms  by  the  revolution  of  the  Ref- 
ormation, and  then,  even  Martin  Luther  declared:  "Auricu- 
lar Confession,  as  now  in  vogue,  is  useful,  nay,  necessary;  nor 
would  I  have  it  abolished,  since  it  is  the  remedy  of  afflicted 
consciences." 

Private  Confession  is  also  the  creed  of  a  portion  of  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church  of  England,  and  by  many  devout 
Episcopalians  has  become  as  essential  to  their  religious  wor- 
ship as  it  is  for  the  Catholics.  It  may  be  proper  to  mention 
here  that  the  Church  of  England  is  divided  and  may  be  denom- 


Confession.  475 

inated  as  the  High  and  Low  Episcopal  Church — the  High 
Church  practicing  auricular  confession  and  absolution.  This 
is  proven  to  be  a  part  of  their  creed  by  the  catechism  prepared, 
by  the  Rev.  C.  S.  Greuber,  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, and  used  by  hundreds  of  Episcopal  Fathers  in  their 
church  work. 

The  following  is  a  correct  copy  of  the  catechism  referred  to: 

Question.  What  do  you  mean  by  absolution? 

Answer.  The  pardon  or  forgiveness  of  sins. 

Q.  By  what  special  ordinance  of  Christ  are  sins  committed 
after  Baptism  to  be  pardoned? 

A.  By  the  Sacrament  of  Absolution. 

Q.  Who  is  the  minister  of  absolution? 

A.  A  Priest. 

Q.  Do  you  mean  that  a  Priest  can  really  absolve? 

A.  Yes. 

Q.  In  what  place  of  the  Holy  Scripture  is  it  recorded  that 
Christ  gave  this  power  to  the  priesthood? 

A.  In  John  xx,  23;  see  also  Matt,  xviii,  18. 

Q.  What  does  the  prayer-book  (or  Book  of  Common 
Prayer)  say? 

A.  In  the  Office  for  the  Ordaining  of  Priests,  the  Bishop  is 
directed  to  say,  "Receive  the  Holy  Ghost  for  the  office  and 
work  of  a  Priest  in  the  Church  of  God.  Whose  sins  thou  dost 
forgive,  they  are  forgiven."  In  the  Office  for  the  Visitation  of 
the  Sick  it  is  said,  "Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  hath  left  in  His 
Church  power  to  absolve  all  sinners  that  truly  repent  and 
believe  in  Him."  In  the  Order  for  Morning  and  Evening 
Prayer  we  say  again,  "Almighty  God  hath  given  power  and 


476  Christian  Persecutions. 

commandment  to  his  ministers  to  declare  and  pronounce  to 
His  people,  being  penitent,  the  absolution  and  remission  of 
their  sins." 

Q.  For  what  purpose  hath  God  given  this  power  to  Priests 
to  pronounce  absolution  in  His  name? 

A.  For  the  consolation  of  the  penitent;  the  quieting  of  his  con- 
science. 

Q.  What  must  precede  the  absolution  of  the  penitent?, 

A.  Confession  *  *  *  *  Before  absolution  privately 
given,  confession  must  be  made  to  a  Priest  privately. 

Q.  In  what  case  does  the  OhurcHi  of  England  order  her 
ministers  to  move  people  to  private,  or,  as  it  is  called.  Auricular 
Confession? 

A.  When  they  feel  their  conscience  troubled  with  weighty 
matter. 

Q.  What  is  weighty  matter? 

A.  Mortal  sin  is  certainly  weighty;  sins  of  omission  and 
commission  of  any  kind  that  press  upon  the  mind  are  so,  too. 
Anything  may  be  weighty  that  causes  scruple  or  doubtfulness. 

Q.  At  what  times  in  particular  does  the  Church  so  order? 

A.  In  the  time  of  sickness,  and  before  coming  to  Holy  Com- 
munion. 

O.  Is  there  any  other  class  of  persons  to  whom  confession 
is  profitable? 

A.  Yes;  to  those  zvho  desire  to  lead  a  saintly  life.  These, 
indeed,  are  the  persons  zvho  most  frequently  resort  to  it. 

Q.  Is  there  any  other  object  in  confession,  besides  the  seek- 
ing absolution  for  past  sin,  and  the  quieting  of  the  penitent's 
conscience? 


Confession.  477 

A.  Yes;  the  practice  of  confessing  each  single  sin  is  a  great 
check  upon  the  commission  of  sin,  and  a  preservative  of  purity 
of  life.     . 

I  have  now  given  you  the  evidence  that  the  Catholic  Church 
is  not  standing  alone  in  the  doctrine  of  Confession  and  Absolu- 
tion, but  that  it  is  practiced  by  the  Greek  Church,  by  ancient 
Oriental  sects,  and  by  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of 
England,  ar.d  I  might  tell  you  from  personal  knowledge  that  in 
Chicago  and  St.  Louis  the  Episcopal  Church  is  to-day  practic- 
ing these  sacred  rites,  and  what  may  be  of  special  interest  to  us, 
is,  that  all  these  people  who  have  and  do  believe  in  the  Sacra- 
ment of  Confession  and  Absolution  were  originally  Catholic, 
there  being  in  each  case  a  church  revolt  that  caused  a  separa- 
tion from  the  parent  tree.  But  as  they  were  taught  this  doctrine 
of  faith  they  have  ever  held  it  as  sacred,  and  it  has  been  handed 
down  as  a  necessary  form  of  worship.  This  alone  is  evidence 
that  it  has  always  been  the  practice  of  the  Church  and  has  its 
origin  in  Christ. 

For  the  purpose  of  clearly  expressing  to  my  Protestant 
friends  the  belief  of  Catholic  Absolution,  or  as  usually  expressed 
by  those  who  bear  prejudice  against  the  power  of  priests  to 
forgive  sins,  I  will  quote  from  Cardinal  Gibbons  and  thus  give 
the  true  relationship  between  confession  and  absolution : 

"Again,  some  object  to  priestly  absolution  on  tlie  assump- 
tion that  the  exercise  of  such  a  function  would  be  a  usurpation 
of  an  incommunicable  prerogative  of  God,  who  alone  can  for- 
give sins.  This  was  precisely  the  language  addressed  by  the 
Scribes  to  our  Saviour.  They  exclaimed:  'He  blasphemeth! 
who  can  forgive  sins  but  God  only?'  My  answer,  therefore,  will 


478  Christian  Persecutions. 

be  equally  applicable  to  old  and  modern  objectors.  It  is  not 
blasphemy  for  a  priest  to  claim  the  power  of  forgiving  sins, 
since  he  acts  as  the  delegate  of  the  Most  High.  It  would, 
indeed,  be  blasphemous  if  a  priest  pretended  to  absolve  in  his 
own  name  and  by  the  virtue  of  his  own  authority.  But  when  the 
priest  absolves  the  penitent  sinner  he  acts  in  the  name  and  by 
the  express  authority  of  Jesus  Christ;  for  he  says:  *I  absolve 
thee  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.'  Let  it  be  understood,  once  for  all,  tlhat  the  priest  arro- 
gates fo  himself  no  divine  powers.  He  is  but  a  feeble  voice. 
It  is  the  Holy  Spirit  that  operates  sanctity  in  the  soul  of  the 
penitent." 

A  staunch  Baptist,  or  Methodist,  or  Presbyterian,  becomes 
horrified  at  the  thought  of  Catholic  Absolution.  But  allow  me 
to  ask  you  one  question.  You  believe  in  the  Sacrament  of  Bap- 
tism. Now,  will  you  repeat  the  words  you  use  as  you  confer 
this  Sacrament?  Do  you  not  say:  "I  baptize  thee  in  the  name 
of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost?"  Is  it 
conferring  any  greater  power  to  absolve  than  it  is  to  baptize? 
You  claim  the  right  as  a  minister  of  God  to  hear  an  open  con- 
fession, to  speak  words  of  consolation  to  the  penitent,  to  inter- 
cede with  your  prayers,  to  baptize  in  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
and  to  receive  your  candidate  into  a  Holy  Communion.  Do 
you  deny  these  rites  to  others?  The  Catholic  Priest  believes 
in  baptism,  in  contrition,  in  confession,  in  absolution,  and  in  a 
Holy  Communion.  After  all,  are  you  not  nearer  the  Catholic 
faith  than  you  suppose?  If  left  to  an  unprejudiced  jury,  would 
they  make  any  particular  distinction  between  the  powers  you 
claim  a  right  to  exercise  amd  those  wftiich  are  exercised  by  your 


Confession.  479 

neigilibor?  If  you  baptize  in  the  name  of  the  Father  and  thus 
wipe  away  the  sins  that  have  been  committed,  are  you  not 
doing  the  work  of  absolution? 

The  cause  of  the  great  prejudice  which  Protestants  have 
against  absolution  is  because  they  do  not  understand  its  mean- 
ing. They  have  always  understood  that  when  Catholics  go  to 
confession  they  pay  a  certain  scheduled  price,  either  in  money 
or  some  form  of  penance,  just  in  accordance  as  are  the  sins 
committed,  and  the  priest  accepts  the  price  as  legal  tender,  for- 
gives them  their  sins,  and  they  start  out  with  a  clean  score 
ready  to  commence  over  again.  Noa\  ,  the  Protestant  hears  this, 
and  without  investigation  turns  away,  believing  that  the  priest 
is  using  his  own  power  and  at  the  same  time  is  charging  for  his 
services.  The  non-Catholic  does  not  realize,  or  understand, 
that  absolution  is  performed  the  same  as  is  baptism,  in  the 
name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Nor  does  he  comprehend  that  it  is  necessary  for  the  penitent 
to  feel  the  weight  of  sin,  that  he  must  make  a  confession 
satisfactory  in  God's  sig'ht,  otherwise  there  can  be  no  absolu- 
tion. The  priest  may  be  deceived  and  pronounce  the  words 
of  pardon,  but  there  will  be  no  pardon,  no  forgiveness,  no 
perfect  absolution,  unless  the  individual  has  prepared  himself 
to  receive  it.  The  hypocrite  may  impose  upon  the  priest  by  a 
pretended  penitence  and  contrition,  but  God  knows  his  heart 
and  has  said :  "Woe  unto  you,  hypocrites  and  liars." 

Nothing  could  be  said  that  contained  a  greater  falsehood 
than  to  say  that  absolution  could  be  purchased.  I  find  that  such 
a  practice  could  not  be.  It  is  absolutely  prohibited  to  receive 
any  form  of  compensation,  and  in  many  dioceses  the  priest  is 


480  Christian  Persecutions. 

forbidden,  under  a  strong  penalty,  to  receive  money,  even  if  it  is 
for  another  purpose.  It  is  true,  they  may  receive  donations 
when  they  perform  the  marriage  ceremony,  or  even  in  baptism, 
but  under  no  consideration  whatever  will  this  be  allowed,  or  in 
the  least  degree  tolerated  in  confession.  The  priest  who  would 
so  far  forget  his  religious  precepts  as  to  accept  a 
donation,  or  even  a  present,  would  be  severely  rebuked,  and  if 
these  violations  were  continued,  he  would  be  removed.  The 
fact  is  this  charge  is  utterly  false.  Paying  for  absolution  is  a 
thing  unheard  of  in  Catholic  practice.  Of  course,  we  hear  of  it 
from  the  outside,  as  it  is  the  chief  stock  in  trade  offered  against 
tihe  Catholic  religion. 

Catholics  reason  like  this:  "If  a  practice  was  instituted  by 
which  money  could  be  received  on  these  occasions,  it  might 
lead  to  some  abuse  and  to  give  scandal,  to  say  nothing  of  dis- 
couraging frequent  reception  of  the  Sacraments  of  Penance  and 
the  Eucharist,  which  the  Church  has  much  at  heart;  therefore 
no  customs  of  the  kind  could  be  allowed."  The  fact  is,  there 
can  be  no  charge  made  for  conferring  any  of  the  Sacraments. 

Many  Protestants  believe  that  it  is  a  matter  of  personal  pleas- 
ure to  the  priest  to  hear  ooinfession,  to  ask  questions,  to  get  into 
the  secret  life  of  their  people  and  to  hold  this  knowledge  as  a 
club  to  command  obedience  to  their  dictation.  It  might  be  a 
curiosity,  a  pleasure  for  you,  if  you  'had  no  responsibility  to 
bear,  and  no  pledge  of  secrecy  you  were  bound  to  respect,  to 
worm  yourself  into  the  knowledge  of  the  private  life  of  a  par- 
ticular individual,  but  just  imagine  yourself  a  priest,  pledged 
by  the  sitrongest  vows  possible  to  seal  your  lips  to  every  form 
of  confidence  that  is  reposed  in  you,  to  sit  in  the  sacred 


Confession.  481 

tribunal,  scm'etimes  from  six  to  eight  consecutive  hours,  and 
listen  to  the  stories  of  sin  and  sorrow  and  misery,  to  speak 
words  of  con'solation,  to  admonish  the  penitent  to  turn  from 
his  paths  of  sin,  to  exact  pledges  or  reformation,  to  extend 
your  blessing,  and,  as  a  servant  of  God,  db  all  within  your 
power  to  save  a  soul  from  ruin.  Is  this  pleasure,  except  as 
you  have  fulfilled  your  duties  to  God  and  to  man? 

"No,  hearing  confessions  is,  on  natural  grounds,  a  burden  to 
the  priest,  and  often  quite  a  grievous  one.  This  of  itself  would 
suffice  to  show  that  it  is  not  a  human  invention,  for  there  could 
be  no  possible  inducement  to  the  priesthood  to  institute  a  prac- 
tice so  full  of  labor,  and  putting  such  a  strain  as  this  does  on 
patience,  except  the  conviction  that  it  was  required  by  the  law 
of  God." 

As  an  illustration  of  the  great  fatigue  and  constant  mental 
strain  whidh  is  the  result  of  these  continued  labors,  I  will  cite 
you  to  the  Jesuit  missionaries,  whose  duties  are  to  travel  from 
one  place  to  another,  preach  repentance,  exhort  the  careless  and 
indifferent  to  return  to  the  Church,  to  receive  confessions,  and 
to  grant  absolution.  I  was  informed  by  a  friend  of  mine  living 
at  Beloit,  Wis.,  that  the  average  life  of  these  Fathers  did  not 
exceed  ten  years  after  they  entered  this  field  of  labor.  I  pre- 
sume you  doubt  this  statement,  but  if  you  will  follow  their  con- 
stant service,  you  will  see  that  it  is  not  a  personal  pleasure,  but 
one  constant  round  of  the  most  tiresome  labor  that  a  human 
being  can  engage  in.  These  missionaries  arise  at  a  very  early 
hour  in  the  morning  and  immediately  take  up  church  service. 
They  say  Mass  and  entreat  their  hearers  to  come  to  repentance. 
In  the  afternoon  amd  evening  it  is  the  same  routine  of  appeal. 


482  Christian  Persecutions. 

It  is  a  constant  labor  from  early  morn  until  late  at  night.  They 
never  leave  the  confessional  box  as  long  as  one  soul  desires  to 
pour  out  its  burden  of  grief,  and  when  this  tired  body  finally 
finds  a  few  hours  of  repose  it  is  not  with  an  expectation  of  rest 
on  the  morrow,  but  a  continuation  of  the  same  labor  day  after 
day,  week  after  week,  and  year  after  year,  until  finally  the  flesh 
becomes  too  weak  to  any  longer  continue  this  physical  struggle. 
And  now,  my  friend,  I  will  add  but  one  more  feature  in  this 
discussion,  and  that  is  this:  Is  confession,  outside  of  its  relig- 
ious bearing,  a  benefit  to  the  morals  of  those  who  practice  it? 
I  will  say  most  assuredly  it  is  a  benefit.  Why?  Because  a  guilty 
conscience  must  have  some  means  of  relief,  and  where  else  in 
all  this  wide  world  can  the  secrets  of  sin  be  told  with  the  con- 
fidence of  a  perfect  secrecy?  The  murderer  may  confess  his 
crime  to  a  priest  and  the  law  may  ofler  millions  for  his  appre- 
hension, but  this  sacred  confidence  can  never  be  violated,  and 
no  law  can  enforce  its  violation.  Once  priests  suffered  martyr- 
dom for  refusing  to  divulge  the  secrets  of  confession,  but  now 
the  court  says  it  is  a  sealed  book  and  cannot  be  opened  to  the 
public  gaze.  Besides  bringing  relief  to  a  guilty  conscience,  it 
inspires  confidence,  it  creates  new  resolves,  new  determinations 
to  resist  temptation,  and  by  the  admonition  of  the  priest  these 
resolutions  are  strengthened,  and  instead  of  the  penitent  being 
alone  to  grapple  with  impending  sin,  there  is  the  protecting  arm 
of  the  confessor  whose  knowledge  of  the  temptation  is  a  guide 
to  guard  and  direct. 

Cardinal  Gibbons  says:  "My  experience  is,  that  the  confes- 
sional is  the  most  powerful  lever  ever  erected  by  a  merciful 
God  for  raising  men  from  the  mire  of  sin.    It  has  more  weight 


Confession.  483 

in  withdrawing  people  from  vice  than  even  the  pulpit.  In  pub- 
lic sermons,  we  scatter  the  seed  of  the  Word  of  God;  in  the 
confessional,  we  reap  the  harvest.  In  sermons,  to  use  a  military 
phrase,  the  fire  is  at  random,  but  in  confession  it  is  a  dead  shot. 
The  words  of  the  priest  go  home  to  the  penitent.  In  a  public 
discourse  the  priest  addresses  all  in  general,  and  his  words  of 
admonition  may  be  applicable  to  very  few  of  his  hearers.  But 
his  words  spoken  in  the  confessional  are  directed  exclusively  to 
the  penitent,  whose  'heart  is  open  to  receive  the  Word  of  God. 
The  confessor  exhorts  the  penitent  according  to  his  spiritual 
wants.  He  cautions  him  against  the  frequentation  of  danger- 
ous company,  and  other  occasions  of  sin;  or  he  recommends 
special  practices  of  piety  suited  to  the  penitent's  wants." 

To  close  this  chapter  and  not  mention  the  consolation  which 
Catholics  feel  in  their  religious  faith  would  be  random  argu- 
ment without  giving  the  real  fruits  to  be  gathered  from  it.  To 
do  this  I  know  of  no  expression  of  thought  better  calculated  to 
demonstrate  this  fact  than  the  expressed  convictions  given  by 
one  of  Wisconsin's  Circuit  Judges.  I  will  not  give  his  name, 
but  if  these  lines  ever  meet  his  eyes  he  will  recall  this  form  of 
conversation,  although  I  cannot  give  his  exact  words:  "I  was 
in  a  hospital  in  Milwaukee  and  not  expected  to  live.  Only  a 
hope  was  held  out  to  me.  I  could  not  tell  whether  it  was  one 
hour  or  one  week  that  remained  for  me  to  prepare  for  the 
Great  Unknown.  What  could  I  say  or  do?  My  religious  teach- 
ings gave  me  no  positive  assurance.  I  was  in  the  dark  and 
could  only  hope  that  my  life  would  be  acceptable  in  God's  sight. 
During  those  trying  scenes  of  doubt  and  fear  what  a  consola- 
tion it  would  have  been  to  me  if  I  could  feel  that  my  life  had 


484  Christian  Persecutions. 

not  been  a  failure.  I  saw  the  dying  Catholic  receive  the  serv- 
ices of  his  priest.  I  saw  that  his  mind  was  at  rest,  his  thoughts 
peaceful  and  sweet.  I  saw  tihe  confidence  and  the  consolation, 
and  I  said  to  myself,  great  indeed  is  the  power  of  a  religion  that 
can  make  the  last  hours  of  the  dying  penitent  a  satisfaction  to 
himself  and  give  a  glad  assurance  for  the  hereafter.  I  will  draw 
the  comparison  I  felt  and  saw:  I  saw  my  loneliness,  my  doubt, 
my  hope,  my  fear,  and  at  the  same  time  I  saw  the  consoling 
influence  of  the  Catholic  religion,  with  the  doubt  dispelled,  the 
hope  turned  to  an  assured  reality,  and  the  fear  changed  to  a 
smiling  consolation.  What  would  I  have  given  to  exchange 
my  unsatisfied  condition  for  those  assuring  promises?  We  may 
talk  about  this  and  that  meeting  the  wants  of  a  dying  man,  but 
I  can  assure  you  from  my  own  personal  observation  that  there 
is  nothing  that  gives  the  satisfaction,  the  consolation,  and  the 
sweet  comfort  as  does  the  Catholic  faith." 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

THE  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS. 

'TJ'OR  the  purpose  of  explaining  to  those  who  are  not  Cath- 
•*•  olics  something  of  this  doctrine  of  worship,  I  have  pre- 
pared a  short  chapter  on  this  most  important  profession  of 
faith,  and  while  I  make  no  claim  to  being  sufficiently  versed 
in  Catholic  theology  to  thoroughly  explain  each  feature  which 
enters  into  it,  yet  it  may  be  possible  for  me  to  so  present  this 
subject  as  to  excite  a  desire  to  study  the  principles  which  are 
the  foundation  of  this  most  sacred  form  of  worship  in  the 
Catholic  Church. 

Probably  the  greatest  of  all  differences  that  exists  between 
Catholics  and  Protestants,  is  found  in  the  interpretation  of  the 
real  object  and  meaning  of  the  Holy  Eucharist.  Other  points 
of  controversy  arise,  but  none  have  such  wide  separation  of 
belief  as  is  found  in  the  actual  participation  of  the  consecrated 
elements  of  the  bread  and  wine  at  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass. 

So  great  is  the  difference  in  the  religious  belief  of  the  power 
and  effect  of  this  holy  communion,  that  a  union  of  these  divi- 
sions of  Christianity  can  never  occur.  With  Catholics,  Mass 
is  the  foundation  of  faith,  the  means  by  which  Christ  enters  the 
soul  of  man,  and  is  the  most  cherished  and  sacred  form  of 
worship.  With  Protestants  there  is  no  Mass,  no  recognition 
of  it  as  an  indispensable  factor  in  the  service  of  God,  no  belief 
in  the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation,  no  sacred  reverence  for 
this  faith.    To  them,  the  bread  and  wine  contains  no  spiritual 

485 


486  Christian  Persecutions. 

virtue,  serving  only  as  a  remembrance  of  that  last  supper  which 
Jesus  partook  with  his  disciples.  Thus,  on  one  side  we  find 
that  there  is  no  faith,  no  doctrine  of  belief,  no  divine  miracle; 
while  on  the  other  side  it  is  the  foundation  of  immortal  Hfe, 
the  inspiration  of  God  upon  the  soul  of  those  who  receive  into 
their  hearts  the  real  body  and  blood  of  Jesus. 

To  bring  this  subject  before  our  readers  in  an  intelligible 
manner,  it  is  necessary  to  state  the  position  of  the  Catholic 
Church  in  plain  and  concise  language.  Their  doctrine  is 
simple,  and  from  the  standpoint  of  the  Scriptures  becomes  a 
rational  and  consistent  principle  of  belief.  Their  basis  is  upon 
the  actual  words  of  Jesus,  who,  in  giving  his  last  instructions, 
or  commands  to  his  followers,  declared  that  the  bread  and 
wine  which  he  gave  unto  them  was  the  flesh  and  blood  of  his 
own  body.  This  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  "transubstantia- 
tion,"  the  one  word  of  all  others  by  which  Protestants  fail  to 
recognize  an  absolute  change,  and  in  refusing  to  recognize, 
they  deny  and  condemn  Catholics  for  sustaining  what  the 
Protestants  are  taught  to  believe  is  an  impossible  transaction 
of  God. 

In  the  beHef  of  transubstantiation,  we  find  that  in  the  par- 
ticipation of  the  Holy  Eucharist  the  bread  has  been  so  conse- 
crated by  the  spirit  of  God  as  to  contain  the  real  presence  of 
Christ,  the  actual  transubstantiation  of  the  real  bread  into  the 
body  of  our  Saviour,  and  the  transubstantiation  of  the  wine 
into  His  blood. 

Protestants  declare  that  such  a  change  is  not  only  unrea- 
sonable, but  impossible.  Catholics  reply  that  nothing  is  im- 
possible with  God.    That  although  the  bread  and  wine  are  not 


The  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  487 

changed  in  appearance,  yet,  like  the  unseen  chemical  action  of 
substances,  the  communion  with  God  has  filled  the  bread  with 
the  actual  presence  or  body  of  Him  who  said :  "Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  you,  except  ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  Man,  and 
drink  His  blood,  ye  have  no  life  in  you.  Whoso  eateth  my 
flesh,  and  drinketh  my  blood,  hath  eternal  life;  and  I  will  raise 
liim  up  at  the  last  day.  For  my  flesh  is  meat  indeed,  and  my 
blood  is  drink  indeed.  He  that  eateth  my  flesh,  and  drinketh 
my  blood,  dwelleth  in  me,  and  I  in  him.  As  the  living  Father 
hath  sent  me,  and  I  live  by  the  Father,  so  he  that  eateth  me, 
even  he  shall  live  by  me.  This  is  the  bread  that  came  down 
from  heaven;  not  as  your  fathers  did  eat  manna,  and  are 
dead :  he  that  eateth  of  this  bread  shall  live  forever." 

Protestants  say  they  cannot  possibly  conceive  how  these 
sayings  can  be  literally  true.  The  bread,  they  say,  is  bread 
and  the  wine  is  wine,  and  for  Christ  to  mean  that  his  flesh  is 
meat  indeed  and  his  blood  is  drink  indeed,  is  only  a  parable 
to  represent  that  God  must  enter  the  heart  before  man  can 
receive  eternal  life. 

But  why  say  there  is  no  change  because  the  eye,  or  taste, 
or  sensies  have  noit  detected  the  invisible  presence  of  God?  Your 
position  is  not  tenable,  even  in  the  world  of  science.  You  do 
not  see  a  change,  therefore  you  doubt  the  existence  of  any. 
But,  my  friends,  you  may  look  in  all  the  realms  of  nature, 
where  there  are  constantly  recurring  evidences  of  change,  and 
yet  you  do  not  perceive  it.  You  do  not  understand  how  the 
forces  of  nature  are  gathered  together  and  act  in  one  har- 
monious whole.  You  see  the  effects  of  light  and  heat,  but 
you  cannot  explain  how  they  exist.    The  chemist  puts  a  subtle 


488  Christian  Persecutions. 

fluid  into  a  glass  of  water,  or  wine,  but  there  is  no  perceptible 
evidence  of  what  he  has  done.  You  examine  the  liquid,  it  has 
retained  its  color,  it  has  not  lost  its  taste,  and  you  declare  that 
it  is  the  same  substance,  the  fermented  juice  of  the  grape,  a 
beverage  to  give  strength  to  the  body,  refreshment  to  the  mind, 
and  enliven  the  depressed  moods  of  imagination.  But  is  this 
true?  Is  it  nourishment,  or  is  it  poison?  What  change  has 
been  performed  by  the  introduction  of  that  harmless-looking 
fluid?  The  eye,  nor  the  taste,  can  detect  the  mystery,  the 
apparent  miracle,  the  invisible  instrument  that  has  changed 
life  into  death.  It  is  no  longer  wine,  it  is  poison.  The  invisible 
body  of  the  chemist's  art  has  changed  the  whole  influence  of 
that  wine,  and  while  there  is  no  visible  effect  upon  the  sub- 
stance, yet,  when  it  is  taken  into  the  system  it  becomes  the 
enemy  of  life. 

The  same  is  true  of  a  thousand  conditions  of  nature  which, 
in  this  world  of  thought  and  science,  you  do  mot  disbelieve. 
Your  experience,  your  reason,  your  study,  informs  you-  of 
this  change,  and  there  exists  no  element  of  doubt.  A  glass 
of  water  may  look  to  you  as  pure  and  undefiled,  but  your 
health-of!icer  says  it  is  loaded  with  germs  of  disease.  Will  you 
drink  it  and  take  the  chances  of  becoming  a  victim  because 
of  your  own  rashness?  No,  you  will  cast  it  aside,  or  you 
will  subject  that  water  to  heat  and  thus  change  the  lurking 
poison  to  a  life-giving  principle. 

Catholics  believe  that  where  the  heart  is  prepared  to  receive 
the  divine  influence  of  God  this  transubstantiation  gives  to  the 
recipient  of  the  Eucharist  the  benefits  of  Holy  Gomimunion.  It 
becomes  the  bread  of  the  soul,  the  coming  together  of  God  and 


The  Sacrifice  op  the  Mass.  489 

man,  the  transformation  of  a  barren  heart  to  one  filled  with  the 
divine  presence  of  our  Saviour.  If  you  are  a  Christian,  can  you 
see  anything  that  is  irrational;  that  is  not  comprehensive,  in 
these  conditions?  You  believe  that  Christ  enters  the  heart 
of  man.  You  pray  for  his  presence,  you  plead  with  your  neigh- 
bor to  open  his  mouth  and  confess  his  sins,  to  confess  the 
inability  of  man  to  stand  alone.  You  entreat  him  to  renounce 
the  sins  of  the  world,  to  cast  aside  the  insidious  poison  of  dis- 
obedience, and  drink  the  waters  of  eternal  life.  What  less  have 
Catholics  done?  They  believe  that  a  wicked  and  unconfessed 
heart  cannot  receive  the  blessings  of  the  divine  spirit  of  God. 
There  must  be  a  repentance,  a  desire  to  renounce  the  paths  of 
evil,  and  an  absolute  faith  that  the  consecrated  bread  and  wine 
contain  the  presence  of  the  real  God,  and  when  thus  accepted 
the  soul  of  man  becomes  the  dwelling-place  of  this  Divine 
Being  who  declared  that  "he  who  eateth  my  flesh,  and  drinketh 
my  blood,  dwelleth  in  me,  and  I  in  him." 

That  this  declaration  of  Jesus  was  no  parable,  is  sustained 
by  His  earnest  exhortation  to  listen  and  to  believe.  Three 
times  does  he  repeat  the  same  declaration  that  my  body  is  meat 
indeed,  and  my  blood  is  drink  indeed.  And  to  make  his  state- 
ment more  impressive,  more  emphatic,  and  more  positive  in 
its  meaning,  He  says,  "Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,"  which 
is  the  Jewish  custom  of  solemnly  testifying  under  oath.  Thus 
we  find  that  there  can  be  no  mistake  in  the  purposes  of  Christ. 
He  knew  that  the  Jews  were  murmuring  among  themselves, 
saying,  "this  is  an  hard  saying;  who  can  hear  it"?  Christ 
knew  that  to  eat  his  flesh  in  the  form  of  flesh,  and  to  drink 
his  blood  in  the  form  of  blood,  would  not  only  be  shocking, 

(32) 


490  Christian  Persecutions. 

but  it  would  be  revolting  in  the  extreme.  He  would  first 
prepare  the  heart  to  receive  the  word  of  God,  and  then  in 
the  faith  of  His  promises  He  would  bless  the  bread,  consecrate 
it  with  His  presence,  and  as  the  heart  was  changed  to  receive 
the  Divine  Teacher,  so  was  the  bread  changed  so  as  to  con- 
tain the  real  presence  of  God.  Or  to  more  forcibly  explain 
this  union  of  God  and  man,  the  real  substance  of  the  bread  was 
changed  into  the  real  substance  of  the  body  and  blood  of 
Christ.  '  , 

Protestants  say  that  this  whole  ceremony  is  to  be  enacted 
only  in  a  remembrance  of  that  last  supper.  If  it  is  only  in 
remembrance,  why  partake  of  the  bread  and  taste  of  the  wine? 
Why  perform  an  act  of  religious  piety  and  expect  no  benefit? 
If  you  do  not  expect  a  benefit,  then  this  formality  is  an  insincere 
act  of  a  most  sacred  and  holy  communion.  You  would  be 
shocked  to  have  others  call  it  hypocrisy,  a  pretended  reverence, 
or  a  mockery.  No,  I  do  not  believe  you  have  such  unholy 
meaning.  Your  teaching  is  that  it  is  in  commemoration  of  that 
great  event  in  the  life  of  Christ,  but  the  solemnity  of  the  occa- 
sion means  more.  Your  heart  responds  to  an  invisible  inspira- 
tion, an  unconscious  recognition  of  something  divine,  of  some 
unexplained  union  between  God  and  man.  The  tongue  may 
speak  falsehood,  but  the  heart  in  the  true  nature  of  its  existence 
must  rebel  against  it.  It  is  only  by  a  constant  perversion  of 
truth  that  the  conscience  becomes  hardened  and  the  spirit  of 
God  is  rejected  forever. 

An  infidel,  reaider,  will  not  believe  in  the  doctrine  of  divine 
presence,  or  of  divine  influence  over  the  hearts  of  our  fellow 
men.    It  matters  not  to  him  whether  it  is  a  belief  in  the  abso- 


The  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  491 

lute  presence  of  God  in  the  participation  of  the  Holy  Eucharist, 
or  any  dcctrinie  of  worship  whatever;  but  among  Christians  who 
believe  in  immortality,  .who  believe  in  Christ,  who  worship 
Him,  who  pray  to  Him,  who  believe  in  His  Holy  Word,  there 
should  be  no  division  of  faith.  Either  Christ  meant  what  He 
said  or  He  did  not.  Can  anyone  say  that  one  single  expression 
of  Jesus  was  said  in  jest,  or  not  in  earnest?  Did  He  ever 
say  one  thing  and  mean  another?  In  all  His  teachings  have 
you  ever  found  a  contradiction?  It  is  not  necessary  for  me 
to  reply.  None  but  scoffers  can  deny  these  manifestations  of 
God. 

Now,  if  Christ  always  meant  what  He  said,  is  there  evidence 
for  doubting  His  teachings  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  St.  John? 
The  position  of  Catholics  is  based  upon  the  undenied  and 
absolute  instruction,  or  commands  of  Jesus,  and  now,  if  Prot- 
estants deny  this  doctrine  of  transubstantiation,  this  conversion 
of  bread  and  wine  into  the  body  of  Christ,  it  is  but  proper 
to  ask  them,  what  did  He  mean?  Catholics  are  not  prosecut- 
ing a  claim.  They  take  the  Bible  and  leave  others  to  prove  a 
denial.  They  ask  that  Protestants  shall  prove  that  it  was  not 
the  intention  of  Christ  to  form  a  holy  union  with  man  through 
the  participation  of  the  Holy  Eucharist.  Prove  that  it  was 
meant  only  for  a  remembrance,  an  idle  illustration,  or  a  com- 
mand intended  for  the  apostles  only. 

Catholics  ask  you  to  consider  the  conditions  under  which 
Christ  made  this  statement.  It  was  on  the  eve  of  his  cruci- 
fixion. .  He  was  soon  to  depart  from  this  world.  He  was  to 
give  all  that  it  was  possible  to  give.  Pie  was  to  offer  his  body 
as  a  bloody  sacrifice  for  the  redemption  of  man.     It  was  his 


492  Cheistian  Persecutions. 

last  earthly  admonition  to  his  apostles.  His  deep  earnestness 
could  not  be  mistaken.  The  conditions  were  too  serious  to 
speak  even  in  parables.  It  must  be  a  positive  and  not  an  un- 
certain truth.  It  was  almost  one  of  his  last  utterances,  and 
such  utterances,  even  in  the  history  of  criminals,  are  taken  as 
statements  of  truth;  therefore,  it  is  impossible  to  believe  in 
any  other  meaning. 

Christ  declared,  as  a  last  declaration,  that  this  is  my  flesh 
and  this  is  my  blood.  Can  an  assertion  be  stronger,  more  posi- 
tive, or  more  truthful?  Christ  was  to  give  His  body  to  all  who 
would  take  and  eat.  It  was  an  offer  of  the  greatest  sacrifice 
which  the  world  could  ever  see.  Christ  declared  that:  "I  am 
the  living  bread  which  came  down  from  Heaven;  if  any  man 
eat  of  this  bread,  he  shall  live  forever;  and  the  bread  that  I  will 
give  is  my  flesh,  which  I  will  give  for  the  life  of  the  world." 
This  bread,  this  flesh,  was  offered  as  a  means  of  salvation,  and 
that  he  who  should  eat  thereof  should  never  die. 

Thus  did  Christ  offer  to  man  his  body  under  the  appear- 
ance of  bread  and  wine,  with  the  assurance  that  if  man  puts 
forth  his  hand  to  accept  the  sacrifice,  to  receive  it  in  faith,  to 
believe  in  the  Word  of  God,  he  shall  never  die.  Or,  in  other 
words,  "He  that  eateth  my  flesh  and  drinketh  my  blood,  dwell- 
e.th  in  me,  and  I  in  him." 

Catholics  believe  that  a  religion  without  a  sacrifice  is  no 
religion  at  all.  There  must  be  a  sacrifice,  otherwise  there  can 
be  no  repentance.  By  repentance  we  place  our  hearts  against 
evil,  we  vow  before  God  that  we  will  seek  to  do  good,  that  we 
will  avoid  sin,  and  obey  His  commands.  Sacrifice  was  the  prac- 
tice of  the  Jews  from  the  earliest  days  of  antiquity,  and  has 


The  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  493 

been  handed  down  to  us  from  the  Christian  era,  and  was  the 
practice  of  all  Christianity  until  the  Reformation,  and  even  to- 
day it  is  the  practice  of  heathens,  and  may  be  seen  even  among 
the  tribes  of  Indians. 

Thus  we  find  that  sacrifice  upon  the  altars  of  worship  has 
always  been  an  institution  of  faith  until  the  great  religious 
rebellion  of  the  sixteenth  century.  With  the  Jews  it  was  a 
sacrifice  in  a  bloody  manner,  but  since  Christ  offered  himself 
a  living  sacrifice  for  the  redemption  of  man,  it  has  been  a 
sacrifice  in  an  unbloody  manner. 

To  quote  from  Catholic  authority,  we  find  this  sacrifice 
explained  as  follows: 

"The  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  is  the  representation  and  re- 
newal of  that  of  the  cross;  the  representation,  because  the  sep- 
arate consecration  of  the  bread  and  wine  reminds  us  forcibly 
of  the  real  separation  of  our  Lord's  body  and  blood,  which 
took  place  at  His  death;  the  renewal,  because  it  is  the  same 
Victim,  the  same  Host,  the  same  High  Priest,  and  conse- 
quently, the  same  sacrifice,  which  is  offered  on  the  altar,  as 
was  once  offered  upon  the  cross.  The  only  difference  is  in  the 
manner  of  offering.  On  the  cross,  Christ  offered  himself  by 
himself;  on  the  altar,  he  offers  himself  by  the  ministry  of  his 
priests;  on  the  cross,  he  offered  himself  in  a  bloody  manner; 
on  the  altar,  he  offers  himself  in  an  unbloody  manner.  Such  is 
the  sacrifice  of  the  Christian  religion;  an  august  sacrifice  which 
unites  in  itself  all  the  advantages  of  which  the  different  sacri- 
fices of  the  Old  Law  were  but  the  types  and  figures.  It  is  a 
sacrifice  of  adoration,  by  which  we  acknowledge  the  sovereign 
dominion  which  God  has  over  His  creatures;  a  sacrifice  of 


494  Christian  Persecutions. 

thanksgiving,  by  which  we  thank  Him  for  all  his  benefits;  a 
sacrifice  of  impetration,  by  which  we  obtain  new  favors;  and  a 
sacrifice  of  propitiation,  by  wihich  we  appease  His  justice." 

We  now  come  to  the  great  stumbling  block  of  Protestant 
opposition.  They  do  not  deny  what  Jesus  said,  nor  do  they 
deny  that  there  must  be  some  invisible  union  between  God  and 
man,  but  they  do  deny  that  Catholic  priests,  either  by  their 
ordination,  or  by  any  authority  whatever,  are  legalized  to  stand 
before  the  people  and  there  offer  these  sacred  institutions  of 
worship.  The  Reformation  taught  this  falsity,  and  as  such  it 
has  been  handed  down  from  generation  to  generation.  If  it 
was  not  a  false  doctrine  under  the  old  Jewish  law,  it  is  not  a 
false  one  now.  If  for  fifteen  hundred  years  it  was  an  admitted 
truth,  it  must  be  a  truth  to-day.  If  Christ  delegated  to  His 
ministry  the  consecrated  power  of  faith,  some  form  of  ministry 
must  still  hold  it,  or  it  is  lost  forever.  If  it  is  lost,  at  what 
period  of  our  religious  existence  did  it  depart  from  us?  If  it 
still  exists,  what  ministry  holds  the  consecration? 

From  this  line  of  reasoning  it  no  longer  becomes  a  question 
of  faith,  but  a  question  of  who  shall  administer  it.  If  Prot- 
estants believe  that  their  ministers  have  received  a  divine  call- 
ing to  preach  the  gospel  of  Christ,  why  deny  this  calling  to  a 
Catholic  priest?  Is  a  priest  who  has  vowed  to  consecrate  his 
life  to  the  service  of  the  Church,  who  is  bound  to  remain  faith- 
ful to  the  sick  and  afflicted,  who  knows  no  fear  of  death,  who 
crosses  the  threshold  where  lurk  the  most  contagious  diseases 
of  earth  and  there  administers  to  the  dying,  is  such  a  man  un- 
worthy the  exalted  trust  reposed  in  him? 

Alark  the  contrast  between  the  mission  of  these  two  min- 


The  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  495 

isters  of  the  gospel.  The  one  visits  the  sick,  if  the  ailment  is 
not  contagious,  and  hopes  that  all  is  well.  He  can  do  nothing 
nor  can  he  say  anything  except  to  pray  to  God  that  He  will 
enter  the  heart  of  the  sick  man  and  at  the  last  moment  save  his 
soul  from  perdition.  The  other  visits  the  sick,  his  presence  is  a 
great  relief.  The  dying  Catholic  looks  to  him  for  consolation. 
He  confesses  his  sins,  he  asks  God  to  blot  out  the  remembrance 
of  his  unworthiness,  he  takes  the  last  sacrament  and  in  the 
beautiful  trust  of  the  blessed  promises  of  his  religious  faith,  he 
dies  with  contentment  in  his  heart  and  a  divine  assurance  in 
his  soul  that  all  is  well. 

But  let  us  return  to  a  further  discussion  of  this  holy  sacra- 
ment. You  understand  that  to  change  a  barren  heart  to  one 
filled  with  the  divine  presence  of  our  Saviour  there  must  be  a 
preparation,  a  repentance,  a  desire  to  do  right,  and  a  belief  in 
the  power  of  God,  without  which  the  consecrated  bread  cannot 
be  the  bread  of  life.  But  woe  unto  him  who  performs  these  acts 
of  piety  unworthily. 

The  Holy  Eucharist  was  not  instituted  for  pleasure  or 
amusement.  Christ  did  not  suffer'crucifixion  for  any  purpose 
but  that  of  redemption.  He  did  not  offer  His  flesh  and  blood 
for  ridicule  and  mockery,  but  declared  that  whosoever  should 
eat  and  drink  unworthily  "shall  be  guilty  of  the  body  and  blood 
of  the  Lord." 

Read  the  I.  Corinthians,  XI  Chapter,  23,  29 :  "For  as  often 
as  ye  eat  this  bread,  and  drink  this  cup,  ye  do  shew  the  Lord's 
death  till  he  come.  Wherefore,  whosoever  shall  eat  this  bread, 
and  drink  this  cup  of  the  Lord  unworthily,  shall  be  guilty 
of  the  body  and  blood  of  the  Lord.    But  let  a  man  examine 


496  Christian  Persecutions. 

himself,  and  so  let  him  eat  of  that  bread,  and  drink  of  that 
cup.  For  he  that  eateth  and  drinketh  unworthily,  eateth 
and  drinketh  damnation  to  himself,  not  discerning  the  Lord's 
body." 

Not  only  has  Christ  declared  that  the  pure  heart  shall  re- 
ceive the  blessings  of  divine  presence,  but  he  declares  that  to 
do  this  in  mockery,  in  levity,  in  unworthiness,  is  to  be  guilty 
of  His  death,  just  as  the  Jews  were  guilty  of  His  crucifixion. 

But  Protestants  say  this  is  all  foolishness  to  believe  that  to 
partake  of  the  Consecrated  Hosts  unworthily  one  "eateth  and 
drinketh  judgment  to  himself."  Then  why  believe  anything 
that  Christ  has  said?  If  you  believe  in  Him,  why  believe  a 
part  and  not  the  whole?  If  you  do  not  believe  in  Him  at  all, 
then  we  cannot  expect  you  to  believe  His  teachings.  But  if 
you  are  Christian,  if  you  believe  in  God's  Holy  Word,  have 
you  any  right  to  interpret  any  meaning  except  that  which  is 
conveyed  in  these  positive  words?  Christ  not  only  offered  His 
flesh  as  a  sacrifice  for  eternal  life  to  those  who  believed,  but 
He  declares  that  he  who  eats  it  unworthily,  "eateth  and  drink- 
eth judgment  to  himself." 


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